Explore Van Gogh’s World At This S.C. Exhibit

Details

Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890 Self-Portrait, 1887 Oil on canvas 15.94 x 13.38 in. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art Gift of Philip L. Goodwin in memory of his mother, Josephine S. Goodwin 1954.189

Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890 Self-Portrait, 1887 Oil on canvas
15.94 x 13.38 in. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art Gift of Philip L. Goodwin in memory of his mother, Josephine S. Goodwin 1954.189

One of the most highly anticipated museum exhibitions in South Carolina history opens at the Columbia Museum of Art on October 4. Van Gogh and His Inspirations showcases the famously mysterious and intense 19th-century Dutch artist, renowned as much for his vibrant Expressionist paintings as his peculiar nature.

Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890 Flower Beds in Holland, c. 1883 Oil on canvas on wood 19.25 x 26 in. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.21

Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890 Flower Beds in Holland, c. 1883 Oil on canvas on wood 19.25 x 26 in. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.21

Antonij (Anton) Rudolf Mauve, 1838-1888 On the Dunes, c. 1875 Oil on canvas, 18.7 x 36 in. Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh Foundation

Antonij (Anton) Rudolf Mauve, 1838-1888 On the Dunes, c. 1875 Oil on canvas, 18.7 x 36 in. Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh Foundation

Eugene Boudin, 1824-1898 Trouville, Les Jetees, Maree Basse, 1888 Oil on panel, 13.25 x 16.25 in. John and Kay Bachmann Collection

Eugene Boudin, 1824-1898 Trouville, Les Jetees, Maree Basse, 1888 Oil on panel, 13.25 x 16.25 in. John and Kay Bachmann Collection

Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant, 1845-1902 La Butte Montmartre en 1878, 1878 Oil on canvas, 25.2 x 33.1 in. Collection of Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh

Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant, 1845-1902 La Butte Montmartre en 1878, 1878 Oil on canvas, 25.2 x 33.1 in. Collection of Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh

For this monumental show–the first exhibition of Van Gogh’s work in South Carolina history–the Columbia Museum of Art spent years securing loans from private collections and 12 major museums across the U.S.–among them, the National Gallery of Art, The Boston Museum of Fine Art and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford.

The result is a 60-piece collection curated specifically and exclusively for the 69-year-old institution, remaining on view in the South Carolina capital through January 12.

As a show that explores “how Van Gogh became Van Gogh,” notes chief curator Will South, it juxtaposes Van Gogh’s original paintings, drawings and etchings with authentic works by a dozen other talents who influenced his creative evolution–from Charles-Francois Daubigny to Gustave Dore and even Rembrandt.