While the paintings of Michelangelo, Botticelli, Velazquez, Rembrandt, Rubens, and Raphael are just a few of those on display, our visit focused in on room 45 –  Van Gogh and Cezanne.  Although the room contained the works of Cezanne, Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, Vuillard, Rousseau and Toulouse-Lautrec, the crowds hovered on the wall containing the Van Goghs.  The central painting on this wall is Sunflowers.  This iconic work is even more vibrant to see in person with the rich golds and yellows and the accents of blue, which you don’t notice as much on screen or in print as in person. 

The National Gallery, London

To the far left was Van Gogh’s Chair.  What struck me most about seeing this painting hanging in the museum along with the other Van Gogh paintings was the size.  Measuring 91.8 x 73 cm (3ft x 2.3 ft), it is incredible to think that Van Gogh created over 800 paintings in such a short time frame when some of them are this size.  Besides the size, the number of colors used in this painting to create the varying shades of the yellow chair and the terracotta tile are too many to count.

To the far right was A Wheatfield, with Cypresses.  Seeing this painting in person, I came to appreciate all of the smaller details in this work.  The little red and white flowers and the blades of grass suddenly come into focus when you are standing in front of this painting.

In addition to these works, Van Gogh’s Long Grass with Butterflies and Mother by a Cradle (Leonie-Rose Davy-Charbury) are both exceptional works in the museum collection although somewhat overshadowed by the previous three mentioned.

If you are planning a trip to London, The National Gallery, with its free admission, outstanding Van Gogh collection, and extraordinary works by other famous artists, should not be missed.

In New York, you can see Van Gogh’s Starry Night in person at the Museum of Modern Art or see several of his other paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.   If you are in Chicago the Art Institute of Chicago has several impressive Van Gogh pieces including The Bedroom.  

And no matter where you are you can always view Van Gogh’s masterpieces by going to the Van Gogh Gallery catalog and filter by city, state, country or museum name to find the Van Goghs closest to you or just browse them online.

If you would rather avoid the sometimes dizzying effects of the virtual tour, check out some of the interactive exhibitions online such as the “Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night” exhibition which took place a couple of years ago at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, but continues to display online. There are also a selection of videos on Van Gogh’s works and research on the Van Gogh channel on Art Babble. So if you want to experience the works of Van Gogh, but can’t make it to the museum, a Van Gogh tour may just be a click away.

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