In 2023, the Van Gogh Museum celebrated its fiftieth birthday in style with festivities on 2 June and three special exhibitions during the year.
With nearly 1.7 million visitors and exceptional shop sales, the museum reflects on 2023 as a remarkable year.
Download the Annual Report 2023 PDF, 28.2 MB
In short
Anniversary Year
The anniversary year kicked off with a tribute to the Van Gogh family: the exhibition
Choosing Vincent told the story of the museum and its international renown through their eyes.
Van Gogh in Auvers was the first significant retrospective focusing on Van Gogh’s oeuvre from the last two months of his life. This unique exhibition also achieved the highest visitor satisfaction rating since the museum started this measurement (NPS of 79%).
The final exhibition of the anniversary year was Van Gogh along the Seine, the first exhibition to focus on Asnières as a destination for painters.
In its anniversary year, the museum collaborated with The Pokémon Company International to offer younger visitors an original introduction to Vincent van Gogh and his art. The project far exceeded expectations in many ways, and resulted in an explosive growth in visitor numbers.
Celebrations at The Mesdag Collection
The Mesdag Collection in The Hague also had a significant year in 2023: the museum marked the 120th anniversary of Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten having gifted their exquisite collection to the Dutch State.
The exhibition Sharing the Spotlight. The Mesdags in their Museum commemorated this milestone. A special day full of activities took place on 13 May. Additionally, there was a PR campaign entitled ‘Meet the Mesdags’.
The entrance area of The Mesdag Collection was also renovated this year.
Financial Position
The Van Gogh Museum’s financial position was positive by the end of 2023.
The recovery of the tourism industry and the return of visitors after the COVID pandemic exceeded expectations, and the museum shops had a banner year. This has led to a positive result of € 2.8 million.