Exhibition view. Van Gogh’s Home: the Van Gogh Museum. The Painter's Legacy, the Family Collection, the Ongoing Story. Sept 12-Dec 21. Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
An exhibition titled Van Gogh's Home: the Van Gogh Museum. The Painter's Legacy, the Family Collection, the Ongoing Story is being held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum until December 21. It is a major exhibition on the work of the supremely popular Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. Additionally, it details how generations of the van Gogh family have contributed to his legacy.
The influence of family is central to the Vincent van Gogh story. During his short life, Vincent was supported both financially and emotionally by his beloved brother, Theo. His estate passed into Theo's hands after his untimely death at age 37.
As an art dealer, Theo was perfectly placed to enhance his brother's legacy by strategically distributing his artwork. Regrettably, a mere six months later, Theo followed his brother to the grave.
The death of Theo proved to be more of a personal tragedy than one for the legacy of his brother. Theo's wife, Jo, proved more than adept at administering the around 2,000 assorted paintings, drawings, prints, watercolors, letters, and documents. This undertaking was carried forward by Vincent Willem van Gogh, the son of Theo and Jo, for much of the twentieth century.
Ultimately, Vincent Willem ceased selling the artwork still in the family's possession and negotiated with the Dutch government to ensure public access to the family collection in perpetuity. In 1962, the family collection was transferred to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation, which is administered by three members of the family and a government representative. The Dutch government committed to building a permanent museum, which opened in 1973.
The van Gogh Family in Japan
When the family collection is exhibited overseas, a member or two of the family typically attend the exhibition opening. The contingent for the Tokyo opening on September 11 was headed by Jantine van Gogh, granddaughter of Vincent Willem, and great-granddaughter of Theo. Jantine's generation predates the founding of the Van Gogh Museum. While growing up, there were four van Goghs on the walls of her family home.
This time, she was not accompanied by one of two family members, but twenty-five — virtually the full van Gogh family. In an interview with JAPAN Forward, Jantine stressed that we "certainly don't organize journeys like this often." However, with the exhibition's focus on the family, and the desire of so many to attend, the foundation felt "a very strong motive" to offer the extended family members the opportunity to experience "this beautiful country with a culture so important to Vincent's art."
Japanese Influence on the Art of van Gogh
The links between Japan and the art of Vincent van Gogh are strong. He was heavily influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints — an influence which Emilie Gordenker, General Director of the Van Gogh Museum, characterized at the exhibition opening as "decisive." There is no nation outside of Europe with more significance to his artwork, and only a few within.
The exhibition was curated by Sjraar van Heugten, a former Van Gogh Museum employee and a trusted friend of the family. He stressed to JAPAN Forward that the prints of Katsushika Hokusai, the most famous of the ukiyo-e artists, were already priced out of reach of van Gogh. However, Siegfried Bing, a prominent Paris-based art dealer, had thousands of inexpensive ukiyo-e prints in his attic, "which van Gogh bought in piles."
A featured artwork within the exhibition is Fishing Boats on the Beach at Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (June 1888). This painting has a notable Japanese influence. The boats have been painted in an overly two-dimensional style and don't cast shadows on the beach. They are painted with areas of uniform color and with strong outlines. The flattened perspective and bold, simplified composition resemble ukiyo-e prints. Van Gogh once wrote to his brother Theo that he wanted to make works with "the same cheerfulness and clarity as Japanese art."
van Gogh's Self-Portraits
The highlight of the exhibition is one of van Gogh's many self-portraits, Self Portrait as a Painter (December 1887-February 1888). Van Heugten speaks for the consensus of art critics by stating that in this portrait, van Gogh presents himself "as a strong, full-fledged artist, a master colorist. His beloved color theories are at the base of the ingenious color composition and are reflected on his palette."
In a letter to his sister Willemina, however, van Gogh wrote that he had portrayed himself with "wrinkles in the forehead and around the mouth, stiffly wooden, a very red beard, quite unkept and sad."
As with much of van Gogh's artwork, Self Portrait as a Painter is significant to his biography. The painting was on the easel when Vincent's sister-in-law, Jo, met Vincent for the first time. Having heard innumerable stories about poor health, she had expected a feeble-looking man. Before her, however, was a brother-in-law she described as "sturdy broad-shouldered man, with a healthy color, a smile on his face, and a very resolute appearance." She would further add that of all of van Gogh's self-portraits, Self Portrait as a Painter was the one "most like him at that period."
Letters In Japan for the First Time
A further feature of the exhibition is a set of four letters that are being displayed in Japan for the first time. Vincent van Gogh was a prolific letter writer, and his letters are of value for both their artistic quality and their clues on his state of mind. Books have been published on his correspondence with his brother Theo.
The exhibition also includes some fabulous works in the possession of the Van Gogh Museum by artists who influenced van Gogh, or were influenced by him. There are several prints, an impressive early Pissarro (Route de Versailles, Rocquencourt, 1871), and a portrait that Australian impressionist John Peter Russell made of van Gogh.
Van Heugten adds that "Archibald Standish Hartrick, a fellow student of van Gogh," claimed that the John Peter Russell portrait "was the best likeness of him, better than van Gogh's self-portraits." The exhibition concludes with a stunning immersive digital display.
A Story That Will Go On
There was an audible gasp from the assembled crowd at the opening when Jantine van Gogh's name was announced. The tangible link through the van Gogh family ancestral line does much to strengthen the sense of affinity that so many feel with both the genius and flaws of Vincent van Gogh. Jantine stated to JAPAN Forward that she is "always amazed" by the reaction, "but if people like this want a photo taken, I'm always ready to." She adds that in the Netherlands, it is a different story. The family and the nation are familiar with each other: "No one ever asks me."
After the exhibition opening, the family attended some formal events at the Dutch embassy before traveling to Kyoto and the Naoshima art island, which is located in the Seto Inland Sea. "For us as a family, this journey was a big success," concluded Jantine. "Everyone was very enthusiastic, we have encountered enormous hospitality from the organizers and many others. We certainly will have something to talk about for the coming years!"
Van Gogh's Home: the Van Gogh Museum. The Painter's Legacy, the Family Collection, the Ongoing Story is proving to be similarly successful. Moreover, the ongoing story will include an ever-strengthening relationship between the van Gogh family, the Vincent van Gogh Foundation, the Van Gogh Museum, and the nation of Japan.
The exhibition will continue at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum until December 21. It can then be seen in Nagoya from January 3 to March 23. Timed entry reservations at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum are required on weekends and public holidays, and on December 16-19.
For further information, times, tickets, and access to the exhibition, visit the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum website.
RELATED:
- Wow, Hokusai! See, Examine, and Discover Ukiyo-e
- ‘Gogh Exhibition’ at the Ueno no Mori Art Museum: The Mutual Affection Between van Gogh and Japan
- [Eternal Hokusai] The Enduring Appeal of the ‘Great Wave’
Author: Paul de Vries
