Exhibition ‘The Potato Eaters. Mistake or Masterpiece?’
How did Vincent van Gogh approach The Potato Eaters? What was he hoping to achieve? And did he succeed? Find out in the exhibition.
Exhibition The Potato Eaters: Mistake or Masterpiece? on display up and until 13 February. New acquisitions by Mary Cassatt now on display to the public for the first time.
After being closed for more than a month as a result of corona measures by the Dutch government, the Van Gogh Museum reopens on 26 January. The museum will follow government guidelines to ensure that visits are as safe as possible.
The temporary exhibition The Potato Eaters: Mistake or Masterpiece? is still on display up and until 13 February. The four recently acquired prints by Mary Cassatt can now be admired by the public for the first time.
A safe and pleasant visit to the Van Gogh Museum still remains a priority. Therefore, the Van Gogh Museum will follow government guidelines which states that visitors over the age of 12 are required to show a valid COVID Certificate (coronavirus entry pass or green pass). Face masks are compulsory for all visitors, and so is booking a ticket in advance. The number of available tickets is (and will remain) limited.
This way, all visitors will have plenty of space to get to know Van Gogh better, and keep the required distance from other visitors and staff.
The painting that Vincent van Gogh made in 1885 in Nuenen, Brabant, is now one of the highlights of the museum collection, but was not widely considered to be a success at the time. The Potato Eaters: Mistake or Masterpiece? challenges visitors to make up their own minds about what Van Gogh saw as his best ever painting to date.
The exhibition focuses on the genesis of The Potato Eaters, Van Gogh’s dedication and perseverance, what the work meant to him, and the criticism that he received for the painting. Some 50 paintings, drawings, sketches and letters from the Van Gogh Museum collection are joined by two important loans to tell this story.
The ‘Potato Eaters Studio’, home to a life-sized reconstruction of the cottage where Van Gogh prepared the painting, hosts workshops and other activities, inviting visitors to get even closer to the painting.
The Potato Eaters: Mistake or Masterpiece? is on display at the Van Gogh Museum until 13 February 2022.
The Van Gogh Museum recently acquired four rare prints by the American artist Mary Cassatt. Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) was part of the first generation of Impressionists, and was a contemporary of Vincent van Gogh.
The new acquisitions – three large colour etchings and a singular lithograph in black – are considered highlights of her oeuvre. Reopening the museum means that the public will be able to see these prints for the first time: the works by Cassatt will temporarily exhibited on a dedicated wall in the permanent collection.
During the latest period of lockdown and forced closing of the museum, last week the Van Gogh Museum for one time only opened its doors as a beauty salon.
In The Netherlands, COVID curbs had been lifted for shops, hairdressers, nail salons and gyms while cultural institutions had to remain closed. In response, dozens of arts organizations joined a protest called ‘Theater Hairdresser’, during which they offered haircuts, nail treatments and sport lessons to underline the inconsistency in government policy.
Now COVID restrictions have been eased, the Van Gogh Museum is delighted to be able to welcome back visitors during regular opening hours.