When Van Gogh died in 1890 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, all his work was bequeathed to Theo. After he himself passed away a mere 6 months later, the whole breadth of work was left in possession of his widow, Johanna Van Gogh-Bonger.

She was able to sell many of the works as they became popular and help spread the unique philosophy and style of Van Gogh, though she did keep a private collection. Her son Vincent Willem van Gogh became the heir after her death in 1925, and he loaned the private collection to the Stedelijk Museum so the public could have permanent access.

Van Gogh needs a museum of his own

Due to the fame of Van Gogh’s work, and the still rising interest, the Van Gogh Foundation was started in 1962, and plans were put in place to create a new home for the artworks.

The following year Gerrit Rietveld’s design for the Van Gogh Museum was commissioned by the Dutch government and the building process began. In an unfortunate turn of events, Rietveld died just a year later, halting proceedings.

The building was finally finished in 1973, and was opened to the public.It houses the largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings in the world. It also displays other artists work, peers of Van Gogh, and also work that was directly inspired by Van Gogh.

Van Gogh is everywhere

Some of his most famous works are not in The Van Gogh Museum, such as Starry Night, most of the sunflower series, Café Terrace at Night, Portrait of Dr. Gachet etc. His works span the globe, held in both private collections and also in museums.

Chances are there is an original van Gogh not too far away from you. Phenomenal for an artist that was not appreciated in his time, and died a poor man. 

More and more popular

The museum continues to be very popular, often running new exhibitions, and finding new ways to view Van Gogh, his work seeming to become stronger and more meaningful in every passing year.

It received 1.4 million visitors in 2013 and has been ranked as the 35th most visited art museum in the world.  

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    31-08-2016 17:28     Comments ( 0 )
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