Gogh Modern - Vincent van Gogh and contemporary art

Colour unites artists who breathed new life into Van Gogh's colour experiments. Because 19th-century conventions did not condone abstract painting, Vincent often relied on modest objects such as flowers, shoes or potatoes to try out contrasting colours or, alternately, work 'tone-in-tone'. His successors could concentrate on pure colour without worrying about the subject. This theme is represented by the paintings of Donald Judd, Brice Marden, Frank Stella among others, and spatial work by Ellsworth Kelly. Gesture presents the liberating effect of Van Gogh´s uninhibited and free manner of painting. His very personal and often emotional style continues to inspire countless artists to this very day. Van Gogh laid down his subjects on the canvas in thick strokes. For him, this impasto was not only a working method, but also an expression of his conviction that "painting is working". After Surrealism, Neue Sachlichkeit and neo-Classicism, Van Gogh set the example for these new Expressionistic movements. Many important 20th-century painters expanded on the expressive painter´s gesture or even made it the very essence of their work, including Georg Baselitz, Jean Dubuffet, Sam Francis, Anselm Kiefer, Willem De Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Arnulf Rainer, Antoni Tàpies and the CoBrA artists. The section on Man has two aspects. On the one hand, in his early work Van Gogh depicted numerous peasants and farm labourers at home or at work. He painted them with engagement and did not shy away from the sombre, impoverished and ugly sides of agrarian life. This realistic tradition, the legacy of Gustave Courbet and Jean François Millet, is elaborated upon in various ways in 20th-century art, sometimes with a hard realistic view, at others with great compassion and a social conscience. Examples of this are the photographs of Rineke Dijkstra and Diane Arbus. On the other hand, this section focuses on a group of artists who have placed their own bodies at the core of their art. They reflect the interconnection of art and life, which was so crucial for Van Gogh. Even his self-inflicted mutilation was later related to his work. Vincent has become the prototype of the artist who sacrifices everything in his creative pursuit. Working in this tradition are Marina Abramovic, Günter Brus, Tracey Emin, Bruce Nauman and Rudolf Schwarzkogler. The theme of Nature, naturally, has more to do with content than with form. Van Gogh considered himself as part of the Realist tradition, preferring to work out of doors and strongly favouring landscapes and working peasants. His Olive Orchards and Cypresses are not only an expression of reality, but are also laden with symbolic meaning. This tradition was perpetuated by many artists after 1945, for example Anselm Kiefer, Jannis Kounellis, Richard Long, Mario Merz and Ulrich Rückriem.

Gogh Modern - Vincent van Gogh and contemporary art
Ausstellung zum 150. Geburtstag

Künstler:
Vincent van Gogh, Karel Appel, Donald Judd, Brice Marden, Anselm Kiefer, Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly, Andy Warhol, Georg Baselitz, Jean Dubuffet, Sam Francis, Anselm Kiefer, Willem De Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Arnulf Rainer, Antoni Tàpies, Marina Abramovic, Günter Brus, Tracey Emin, Bruce Nauman, Rudolf Schwarzkogler, Jannis Kounellis, Richard Long, Mario Merz and Ulrich Rückriem, Rineke Dijkstra, Diane Arbus, Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly, u.a.

Kooperation:
Van Gogh Museum, Amstrdam
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam