The Columbia Museum of Art has debuted the major exhibition Van Gogh and His Inspirations, on view now through Sunday, January 12, 2020.
Organized by the CMA and presented by the Blanchard Family, Van Gogh and His Inspirations is
an original exhibition that brings the work of one of the most beloved
artists in the world to Columbia, South Carolina, alongside a variety of
handpicked paintings and drawings that shaped his vision.
“Van Gogh and His Inspirations represents an exhilarating high-water
mark for exhibitions at the Columbia Museum of Art,” says Executive
Director Della Watkins. “This show is the commitment of years of work to
secure loans from museums and private collections; plan complicated
logistical details; establish national, statewide, and local partners in
arts, culture, tourism, marketing, hospitality, and education; and
honor audience requests for internationally significant shows in the
Midlands. Get ready to immerse yourself in fascinating stories,
breathtaking art, and get to know the real Van Gogh, one of history’s
most mysterious and intense artists.”
Vincent
van Gogh, “Flower Beds in Holland,” c. 1883, oil on canvas on wooed,
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Collection of Mr. and Mrs.
Paul Mellon
Art historians and South Carolina residents Steven Naifeh and his
late partner Greg Smith made a major contribution to the understanding
of Van Gogh through the publication of their monumental book (and New York Times bestseller) Van Gogh: The Life in
2011. During the decade spent researching and writing this book, with
access to the Van Gogh Museum archives and translations of previously
ignored documents, the pair built a coherent collection of works by
artists who influenced Van Gogh’s aesthetic thinking. On view to the
public for the first time, this private collection speaks directly to
Van Gogh’s artistic evolution.
Vincent
van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890), “Nursery on Schenkneg,” 1882, black chalk,
graphite, pen, brush, and ink, heightened with white body color on laid
paper watermarked ED & CIE (in a cartouche), the Metropolitan
Museum of Art
In addition to the Smith/Naifeh collection used as its foundation, Van Gogh and His Inspirations includes
loans from 12 museums across the U.S. to explore the development of Van
Gogh through the lens of the artists who inspired him. The exhibition
also brings 12 paintings and drawings by Van Gogh himself, including an
outstanding painting of flower fields from the National Gallery of Art, a
sensitive painting of a peasant weaving from The Boston Museum of Fine
Art, and the world-famous self-portrait from the Wadsworth Atheneum
Museum of Art. Side-by-side with their inspirations, these works offer
visitors a window into the mind of Van Gogh.
Charles-François
Daubigny, French, 1817–1878, “Landscape with Clock Tower on Horizon,”
date unknown, oil on canvas. Naifeh/Smith Collection
“No
artist emerges out of a vacuum, including Van Gogh,” says Chief Curator
Will South. “All of us are shaped by our culture, our time, our
experiences. The works by Van Gogh being loaned for this exhibition
reveal his connections to the artists and culture he was part of: Flower Beds in Holland from
the National Gallery of Art, for example, shows how he looked hard at
the work of other landscapists like Charles-Francois Daubigny in
addition to that of the Impressionists. His famous Self-Portrait from
the Wadsworth Atheneum shows how Van Gogh’s ability to translate
psychological intensity stretches back to predecessors such as
Rembrandt. This exhibition explores, in short, how Van Gogh became Van
Gogh.”
Antonij (Anton) Rudolf Mauve, “On the Dunes,” c.1875, oil on canvas, Naifeh/Smith Collection
In total, Van Gogh and His Inspirations consists of some 60
works, largely paintings but also drawings and etchings, that form a
unique, landmark exhibition building on the scholarship of Smith and
Naifeh. Notable artists featured range from the incredibly influential
and famous, including Rembrandt van Rijn and Jean-Francois Millet, to
the lesser-known but highly talented, such as Charles-François Daubigny,
Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant, and Anton Gerhard Alexander van Rappard.
Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890), “Charrette de Bœuf,” 1884, oil on canvas, Portland Art Museum
The Columbia Museum of Art (CMA) presents the major
exhibition “Van Gogh and His Inspirations,” on view Friday, October 4,
2019, through Sunday, January 12, 2020. Organized by the CMA and
presented by the Blanchard Family, “Van Gogh and His Inspirations” is an
original, exclusive exhibition that brings the work of one of the most
beloved artists in the world to Columbia, South Carolina, alongside a
variety of handpicked paintings and drawings that shaped his vision. Vincent
van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890), “Flower Beds in Holland,” c. 1883, oil on
canvas on wood, 48.9 x 66 cm (19 ¼ x 26 in.), National Gallery of Art,
Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.21
“Before Vincent, there were surely visual pyrotechnics on canvas. But
it was Van Gogh, laying dollop after dollop of brilliant color onto his
canvases, consciously seizing the opportunity for copious amounts of
complementary hues, who achieved the great intensity that resulted from
what appeared to others at the time to be a deranged methodology,” says
South. “It was this extraordinary use of color that made Van Gogh
compelling, even in his own lifetime. Van Gogh and His Inspirations is
a chance to see the work of artists who inspired him, to see what he
borrowed from other artists, and to experience how he became the first
fully Expressionist painter. It is a rare opportunity in the art world,
and it just happens to be in Columbia.”
Eugène Boudin, (French, 1824–1898), “Trouville, Les Jetées, Marée Basse,” 1888, oil on panel, John and Kay Bachmann Collection Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant (French, 1845–1902), “La Butte Montmartre en 1878,” 1878, oil on canvas, Naifeh/Smith Collection
A full-color catalogue will accompany the exhibition and document, for the first time, the Naifeh/Smith Collection.
