Van Gogh in America

​In celebration of its status as the first public museum in the United States to purchase a painting by Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait, 1887, which was acquired in 1922—the Detroit Institute of Arts is organizing the first exhibition dedicated to the introduction and early reception of the iconic artist’s work in America.

Featuring around seventy of Van Gogh’s paintings and works on paper from collections around the world, the exhibition will explore the considerable efforts made by early promoters of modernism in the United States—including dealers, collectors, private art organizations, public institutions, and the artist’s family—to introduce the artist, his biography, and his artistic production into the American consciousness.

Included in the show will be Van Gogh's iconic The Bedroom (1889), his 1888 portrait of Postman Roulin, and the DIA's own Self Portrait, among many other recognizable works.

A full-length, illustrated catalogue with essays by the exhibition curator and Van Gogh scholars will accompany the exhibition. The Detroit Institute of Arts is the exclusive venue for this exhibition.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

​Image credits:  

Mountains at Saint-Rémy (1889), Vincent van Gogh. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Thannhauser Collection, gift by Justin K. Thannhauser, 1978 (78.2514.24)​

Poppy Field, 1890, Vincent van Gogh, Dutch; oil on canvas. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Longterm Loan Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, 0332858.

Undergrowth with two Figures, 1890, Vincent van Gogh, Dutch; oil on canvas. Cincinnati Art Museum, Bequest of Mary E. Johnston, 1967.1430.