Suck everything in one more time. Or immortalize it for yourself by taking a photo. Because tomorrow, it won’t be possible anymore. The exhibition Traveling with Vincent – Van Gogh in Drenthe is then completely past tense.
The last week of the exhibition, which coincided with the first week of 2024, brought a rush of visitors. More than ten thousand interested people crossed the threshold of the Drents Museum to view the works of the country’s most famous painter.
Museum director Harry Tupan is pleased with the visitor numbers. Since mid-September, when the exhibition opened, more than 95,000 people have found their way to the museum to view Van Gogh’s works. “We’ve had a huge outpouring of people,” he noted.
The story of Van Gogh in Drenthe is now known. 2023 was renamed ‘Van Gogh year’ to mark his arrival in our province, 140 years later. Even though he gave up on Drenthe after three months, his legacy should not be underestimated, that was the message.
Tupan: “Vincent was young, 30 years old and had not yet made a career as a painter when he came to Drenthe. It was gloomy, not the most cheerful time of the year. But his work at that time was meaningful for later, in which he has of course become an incredibly famous and international artist.”
“You can almost say,” Tupan continues: “The roots are in Drenthe.”
The last spectators are positive about the exhibition. “Very beautiful, and nice that it is recognizable,” says a woman. She feared she would miss out on the remaining tickets. “We thought: it’s too late. Fortunately there was still room.” Another visitor even showed up for the second time. “What you see here is so inspiring…”
Watch the video about the final day of the exhibition below: