Vincent Van Gogh, arguably the most well-known post-Impressionist painter in the world, will have three versions of his painting The Bedroom exhibited together at the Art Institute next month. The new exhibit, which opens on February 14, will also collect 36 other Van Gogh works.
This marks the first time in North American history that these three paintings have been displayed side-by-side. The exhibit will study Van Gogh's interpretation of place and the living quarters of his human and animal subjects. Paintings include his early works studying cottages and birds' nests, which explore "the artist’s use of the motif of home as a haven, creative chamber, and physical reality," according to a press release. As the 19th-century painter is best known for his landscapes, this collection seems to present a different side of his work.
Van Gogh copied the original of The Bedroom painting to give to his family. The room depicted was in his house in Arles in the south of France. The third was made while living in an asylum in Saint-Rémy. You can tell the three different paintings apart by closely examining the pictures on the walls.
First version
Vincent Van Gogh. "The Bedroom," 1888.
Second version
Vincent Van Gogh. "The Bedroom," 1889.
Third version
Vincent Van Gogh. "The Bedroom," 1889.
The three bedroom paintings will also be accompanied by a "digitally-enhanced" representation of Van Gogh's actual room, allowing museum visitors to enter the confines that inspired this trio of canvases.
Along with the new exhibition comes a slew of Van Gogh-related events as well. Check out more details below.
Lecture on Van Gogh’s artistic influences
6pm, February 25. Rubloff Auditorium
Lecture and screening on Van Gogh in film
6pm, March 17, Griffin Court
6pm, March 3, Fullerton Hall
Learn how Van Gogh has been depicted by filmmakers over time in a series of clips taken from feature films, documentaries, and shorts. Stay for an additional screening of Alain Resnais’ Van Gogh (1948).
Film screenings
All screenings in the Price Auditorium.
Vincent (1987) 6pm, April 7
Lust for Life (1956) - 1pm, April 8
Vincent & Theo (1990), 1pm, April 16
Van Gogh (1991), 1pm, April 23
The Eyes of Van Gogh (2005), 1pm, April 30
Performances of Van Gogh’s letters
6pm, April 14, Fullerton Hall
2pm, April 17, Fullerton Hall
Chicago actors reenact the life of Vincent Van Gogh using language and scenes drawn from his letters and those of his family after the artist left home, and before he moved to southern France for some of his final years where he produced some of his most celebrated work, including The Bedroom series.