In 2023 and 2024 special exhibitions in the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam include Van Gogh Along the Seine and a retrospective exhibition of the Chinese Canadian artist Matthew Wong.
From mid-October 2023 to mid-January 2024, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has a special exhibition on the paintings Van Gogh painted at Asnières along the Seine near Paris. These paintings are compared with the work of four contemporaries who worked at the same locations: Paul Signac, Georges Seurat, Emile Bernard, and Charles Angrand. From March to August 2024, the Van Gogh Museum hosts the first-ever retrospective exhibition in Europe of paintings by the Chinese Canadian artist Matthew Wong (1984-2019). Buy Van Gogh Museum tickets online in advance — tickets are not sold at the gallery itself.
Special Van Gogh Museum 50-Year Exhibitions in Amsterdam 2023
Van Gogh Along the Seine
13 October 2023 to 14 January 2024 in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
Van Gogh Along the Seine (Van Gogh aan de Seine) is the final special exhibition in the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam’s 50th-anniversary year.
This pioneering exhibition explores how the area along the Seine near Asnières, to the north-west of Paris, was crucial to the artistic development of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries: Paul Signac, Georges Seurat, Emile Bernard, and Charles Angrand.
In the late 19th century, bridges and trains made Asnièeres, famous for its idyllic green suburbs, an easy day-trip destination for Parisians. Between 1881 and 1890, these five ambitious artists also walked to the banks of the Seine to paint. With their easel positioned amongst the greenery, they captured the radical contrasts that characterized the area, from day trippers enjoying various water sports to the burgeoning industry. They found new, modern motifs, and developed their use of color and painting techniques.
Van Gogh’s paintings of the area around Asnières are displayed as a separate group for the first time and compared with the work of the four contemporaries who worked at the same locations. The exhibition unites 75 works, many of which have never before been on display at the Van Gogh Museum, or even in the Netherlands.
Highlights are Van Gogh’s Fishing in Spring, the Pont de Clichy (Asnières) (1887), Oil Sketch for “La Grande Jatte” (1883) by Georges Seurat, and Two Women on the Asnières Footbridge (1887) by Emile Bernard.
The Van Gogh Along the Seine exhibition is a collaboration with The Art Institute of Chicago.
Matthew Wong l Vincent van Gogh. Painting as a last resort
1 March to 1 September 2024 in the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam
Matthew Wong l Vincent van Gogh. Painting as a Last Resort (Schilderen als laatste toevlucht) is the first retrospective of work by Matthew Wong to be exhibited in Europe. The Chinese Canadian artist Matthew Wong (1984-2019) produced radiant, colorful, and expressive works.
Vincent van Gogh was one of Wong’s most significant sources of inspiration, and the exhibition showcases the artistic connection between the two artists. But their life stories also reveal parallels: Wong and Van Gogh both worked hard to find their calling, which ultimately proved to be painting, and they struggled with their mental health, resulting in tragic, untimely deaths. Although there are many similarities, each created a body of highly individual work that is highly personal and emotionally charged.
The exhibition will consist of a range of works by Wong interspersed with relevant paintings by Van Gogh.
Van Gogh Museum Exhibitions Visitors Information 2023 / 2024
Van Gogh Museum Opening Hours 2023/2024: The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is usually open daily from 09:00 to 18:00 but usually closes at 17:00 in most of November to February. Opening hours are longer in the high season and during school holidays.
Although the number of tickets sold is limited, early morning remains the best time to visit this museum. Online time-slot reservation tickets are essential — enter the museum at the stated time and see the special and permanent exhibitions in any order. Tickets are only sold online — the museum has no ticket window or vending machines.
Small savings on combination tickets with the Rijksmuseum and canal boat cruises are usually available. Special exhibitions are always included in the regular museum ticket price. Children under 18 years are admitted free while students pay half price on most weekdays.
→→ See Visiting the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam – Tickets and Opening Hours for more details and tips on the best times to visit the gallery.