Van Gogh and Expressionism

NEW YORK (February 9, 2007)— On March 22, 2007, Neue Galerie New York will open “Van Gogh and Expressionism,” an exhibition that will explore the crucial influence of Vincent van Gogh on German and Austrian Expressionism. More than 80 paintings and drawings will be on view, including a number of major canvases by Van Gogh, as well as important paintings by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Dix, and others. This exhibition, organized by curator Jill Lloyd, the well-known scholar of Expressionism, will fill all gallery spaces in the museum. “Van Gogh and Expressionism” is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. It will remain on view through July 2.

“Van Gogh’s greatness goes beyond his brilliant draftsmanship and approach to color and structure,” said Ronald S. Lauder, President of the Neue Galerie. “Van Gogh is the artist who almost single-handedly brought a greater sense of emotional depth to painting. In that way, he can truly be called the father of Expressionism.”

“This exhibition sheds new light on an artist beloved around the world,” said Renée Price, Director of the Neue Galerie. “It demonstrates his profound influence on the artists at the core of our collection.”

“Van Gogh and Expressionism,” which was organized in conjunction with the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, is the first exhibition to examine in detail the influence of Van Gogh’s art on the Expressionists. Nearly a decade passed after Van Gogh’s death in1890 before his paintings began to emerge from obscurity. German and Austrian Expressionist artists, who first saw his work at exhibitions in Dresden, Munich, Berlin, and Vienna, responded not only to the formal qualities of his paintings but also to the passionate intensity of his vision and the dramatic story of his life.

Artists reinterpreted Van Gogh in the light of their own concerns. For Vasily Kandinsky, he represented the way forward to abstraction, while for Oskar Kokoschka, he signified a vital figurative tradition based on the great humanist art of the past. Erich Heckel was already experimenting with broken brushwork, but he found in Van Gogh a new sense of visual drama. Emil Nolde engaged with Van Gogh at a spiritual level, seeking like his mentor to “grasp what lies at the very heart of things” and “transform nature by infusing it with one’s own mind and spirit.” The Expressionists saw Van Gogh as the trailblazer of modern art.

The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, published by Hatje Cantz. It includes scholarly essays by Jill Lloyd, Michael Peppiatt, Chris Stolwijk, Stefan Koldehoff, Olaf Peters, and Patrick Bridgwater.

The exhibition will be open to the public five days per week: Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is $15 (students and seniors, $10), which includes the use of the audio-tour. Children under 12 are not admitted and those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Concurrent with the exhibition, a distinguished group of scholars will present lectures on aspects of Van Gogh’s life and art. Lectures will take place on selected evenings at 6:30 p.m. and are free for members. Regular admission will be $8 (students and seniors, $5). Tickets can be purchased the day of the lecture at the main admissions desk. Seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Van Gogh and Expressionism
Kurator: Jill Lloyd

Werke von Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, Vincent van Gogh, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele ...