Though over 20 years after his death, Vincent van Gogh was still not known by most Americans at the time of the 1913 New York Armory Show. The Van Gogh works displayed were mainly from the period of his hospitalization at St. Remy from 1889 to 1890. There were also a number of Provencal studies of olive groves as well as several of his Parisian still life paintings.
Though he had been dead since 1890, Van Gogh’s works were viewed by the public as “new and very surprising”. Some critics of the show who knew of Van Gogh’s suicide found it as proof that creators of Modern Art must be crazy. This new strange style of art was considered a threat to custom, tradition and wholesome American values.
Visitors to the Armory Show had the opportunity to purchase reproductions of some of the works they saw at the show. One such reproduction was a photo of Van Gogh’s The Dance Hall in Arles.
Learn more about The Armory Show.
