The exhibition The Potato Eaters. Mistake or Masterpiece? opens at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam tomorrow (8 October). 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.
