Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) is one of the world's most beloved painters. In the past, more than ten major exhibitions of the artist's work have been held in Japan. This exhibition was realized with special cooperation from the Van Gogh Museum and the Kröller-Müller Museum, both located in Van Gogh's homeland of Holland. From the dark hues of his early naturalistic paintings to the dazzling colors of his later works, visitors will have a chance to trace the constant changes in Van Gogh's paintings over what proved to be a brief career through the outstanding collections of these two museums.
The exhibition also attempts to consider Van Gogh's work not as that of an isolated figure - a "crazy" artist-, but rather to reexamine it as a part of art history. And by looking at the work of artists such as Millet, Cézanne and Monet, who Van Gogh knew and was influenced by, and Japanese ukiyo-e as well as books and magazines of the era that shed light on the environment in which he worked, the exhibition provides a cultural context for Van Gogh's artistic activities. In viewing approximately 30 of the artist's masterpieces, 30 works by the artists he was associated with and 60 related documents, visitors will discover a new Van Gogh, one who differs widely from the familiar legend.