THE VAN GOGH MUSEUM PRESENTS VAN GOGH'S LETTERS: THE ARTIST SPEAKS

FROM 9.OCTOBER.2009 THROUGH 3.JANUARY.2010 THE VAN GOGH MUSEUM'S RIETVELD BUILDING WILL BE DEVOTED TO THE LETTERS OF VINCENT VAN GOGH. IN THE EXHIBITION 'VAN GOGH'S LETTERS: THE ARTIST SPEAKS', SOME 120 ORIGINAL LETTERS WILL BE EXHIBITED ALONGSIDE THE WORKS THAT VAN GOGH WAS WRITING ABOUT. THE IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS ARE SELDOM OR NEVER ON SHOW TO THE PUBLIC DUE TO THEIR EXTREME FRAGILITY AND SENSITIVITY TO LIGHT. THE COMBINATION OF MORE THAN 340 WORKS, FROM THE RICH COLLECTION OF THE VAN GOGH MUSEUM, INCLUDING PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, LETTERS AND LETTER SKETCHES OFFERS A MULTIFACETED AND PENETRATING VIEW OF VAN GOGH AS A LETTER WRITER AND AS ARTIST. ESPECIALLY FOR THIS EXHIBITION THE VAN GOGH MUSEUM HAS BEN GRANTED THE EXCLUSIVE LOAN OF THREE SPECIAL LETTERS FROM VAN GOGH TO THE ARTIST EMILE BERNARD (1868-1941) FROM THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM, NEW YORK. THE EXHIBITION IS BEING STAGED BY THE VAN GOGH MUSEUM TO MARK THE LAUNCH OF THE INTERNATIONAL EDITION OF THE COMPLETE CORRESPONDENCE OF VINCENT VAN GOGH. THIS SCHOLARLY EDITION, WHICH WILL BE PUBLISHED BOTH IN BOOK AND DIGITALLY, IS THE CULMINATION OF 15 YEARS OF RESEARCH INTO THE LETTERS AT THE VAN GOGH MUSEUM AND THE HUYGENS INSTITUTE OF THE ROYAL NETHERLANDS ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
"THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY AMONG OUR PALS, WHO IMAGINE THAT WORDS ARE NOTHING. ON THE CONTRARY, DON'T YOU THINK, IT'S AS INTERESTING AND AS DIFFICULT TO SAY A THING AS TO PAINT A THING" -- VINCENT VAN GOGH TO EMILE BERNARD, 19.APRIL.1888.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www3.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/