The museum was opened in 1973. It holds the world's largest collection of Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings. Van Gogh was born in 1853 in Zundert, Holland. He began painting at the age of 27. His life was plagued by poverty and mental illness. He shot himself in 1890.
This is Vincent van Gogh
Van Gogh by John Russell
Van Gogh's comtemporary in art school
Van Gogh's self portraits were recognisable yet different. They were not meant to show what he was like but exercises in colour, brushwork and facial expression. This was because he couldn't afford to hire models so he painted himself.
Four Head of a Woman and one Head of a Man
The Potato Eaters
The Sheepshearer, Peasant Woman Bruising Flax and The Reaper
The Bedroom at Arles
The Harvest
Sunflowers
This is van Gogh's most famous painting. He painted some sunflowers in a vase with three shades of yellow and 'nothing else' to demonstrate that it is possible to create an image with numerous variation of a single colour. Van Gogh painted five versions of the Sunflowers in Arles. We saw the first one in the National Gallery in London
Portrait of a Restaurant Owner
Wheatfield with a Reaper
Almond Blossom
The Garden of St Paul's Hospital
Van Gogh only managed to sell one painting in his life time. This is a sad truth about painters. Their paintings are only of value when they are dead.
