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The world’s first-ever show of van Gogh self-portraits is coming to London

The Courtauld Gallery will put more than 15 of the artist’s self-portraits on display in a landmark exhibition

Chris Waywell
Written by
Chris Waywell
Deputy Editor, Time Out London
Van Gogh Self-Portraits
l-r: ‘Self-Portrait as a Painter’, 1888, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation); ‘Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat’, 1887, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; ‘Self-Portrait’, 1889, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
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Vincent van Gogh is having quite a year in London. Following the announcement of not one but two immersive shows where you wander round taking selfies against massive projections of his works, there is now an actual show of van Gogh paintings in the bluish, raddled flesh on its way next year.

‘Van Gogh Self-Portraits’ is pretty self-explanatory, but is a landmark in being both the inaugural show at the Courtauld Gallery following its closure for refurbishment and the first-ever exhibition in the world exclusively devoted to van Gogh self-portraiture.

The works in the show span the intense but brief period of creativity in which van Gogh completed many of his most famous works. There’s a tragic and yet inspirational arc between his ‘Self-Portrait with Dark Felt Hat’, from 1886-87, in which the artist appears conventionally dressed and rather sombre, to ‘Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear’, from 1889. Here van Gogh, although self-mutilated, has cast off painterly (and sartorial) convention to go somewhere radically new. He died by his own hand the following year.

The show will exhibit ‘more than 15’ of van Gogh’s self-portraits, many of which are rarely lent from their collections around the world. It will be held in the Courtauld’s new Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries, a dedicated space for temporary exhibitions. Given the ever-increasing interest in van Gogh work and myth, ‘Van Gogh: The Self Portraits’ is sure to be a mega-blockbuster, so worth bookmarking now. We’ll keep you posted with updates when tickets are announced.

‘Van Gogh Self-Portraits’, Courtauld GalleryFeb 3-May 8 2022. Ticket prices and booking details will be released later this year.

Get a sneaky peek at the V&A’s new gallery in east London.

Can’t wait? Here are the top ten exhibitions you can see right now. 

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