Van Gogh Museum Unveils Vive l’impressionnisme! Exhibition to Honor 150 Years of Impressionism

Van Gogh Museum Unveils Vive l’impressionnisme! Exhibition to Honor 150 Years of Impressionism

(IN BRIEF) The Van Gogh Museum is set to unveil a major retrospective exhibition titled Vive l’impressionnisme! Masterpieces from Dutch Collections on October 11, 2024, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Impressionism. This exhibition, featuring over 100 important works from French Impressionists, is a collaborative effort involving fifteen Dutch museums and private collections. It will showcase a diverse range of media, including Monet’s landscapes, Cézanne’s watercolors, and Rodin’s sculptures, while exploring how Impressionism was introduced and embraced in the Netherlands. The exhibition will also include a virtual installation, The Gallery of Lost Opportunities, highlighting masterpieces that were once in Dutch collections but are now abroad. Accompanying the exhibition is a catalog titled 150 Years of Impressionism – The Netherlands Sees the Light, documenting the evolution of Impressionism in Dutch art.

(PRESS RELEASE) AMSTERDAM, 9-Oct-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — In a remarkable tribute to the 150th anniversary of Impressionism, the Van Gogh Museum is set to unveil a significant retrospective exhibition titled Vive l’impressionnisme! Masterpieces from Dutch Collections. This highly anticipated event, launching on October 11, showcases over 100 exquisite works from prominent French Impressionists, thanks to a unique collaboration among fifteen Dutch museums and private collectors.

The exhibition transports visitors back to April 15, 1874, when a group of innovative artists held their own exhibition in Paris, breaking free from the rigid constraints of the official Salon. Artists such as Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, and Alfred Sisley showcased their personal interpretations of the world through vibrant colors and fluid brushwork. This bold move shocked the public and marked the inception of one of the most transformative art movements in history: Impressionism.

The Vive l’impressionnisme! exhibition features an extensive range of media, highlighting works from Monet’s breathtaking landscapes to Cézanne’s revolutionary watercolors, as well as pastel masterpieces by Morisot and Degas, and powerful sculptures by Rodin. A central theme of the exhibition examines the journey of these French Impressionist works into the Netherlands and the country’s eventual acceptance of this dynamic art movement around 1900.

During this time, Dutch art leaned towards more traditional and somber tones. The exhibition illustrates how key figures, notably art dealer Theo van Gogh, played a crucial role in introducing Impressionism to the Netherlands. Vincent van Gogh himself embraced the movement only after relocating to Paris in 1886, witnessing firsthand the transformative power of Impressionism.

Vive l’impressionnisme! is jointly organized by the Van Gogh Museum and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, in partnership with renowned institutions such as the Kröller-Müller Museum, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Kunstmuseum Den Haag, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, and several others. The exhibition features works by both male and female Impressionists, including masterpieces from Monet, Degas, Pissarro, Morisot, Cassatt, Sisley, and Cézanne.

Moreover, the exhibition introduces The Gallery of Lost Opportunities, a virtual installation that highlights Impressionist masterpieces that once resided in the Netherlands but are now housed abroad. Created by light artist Nick Verstand, known for his collaborations with luminaries like Björk, this installation provides insight into the challenges museum directors face in acquiring valuable works.

Accompanying the exhibition is a comprehensive catalog titled 150 Years of Impressionism – The Netherlands Sees the Light, serving as a future reference book. This beautifully illustrated publication chronicles the journey of French Impressionism in Dutch collections, documenting the transition from initial skepticism to eventual celebration.

Vive l’impressionnisme! Masterpieces from Dutch Collections will be on view at the Van Gogh Museum from October 11, 2024, to January 26, 2025.

Media Contact:

E-mail: info@vangoghmuseum.nl
Phone: (020) 570 52 00

SOURCE: Van Gogh Museum