The Van Gogh Gallery
Since the opening of the museum in 1938, Vincent van Gogh's artworks have been on display at the heart of the building: a corridor around a small patio, now called the Van Gogh Gallery. The work of Vincent van Gogh occupies a special place in the collection of Anton and Helene Kröller-Müller, the founders of the Kröller-Müller Museum. Thanks to them, the museum now has the second largest Van Gogh collection in the world.
The Van Gogh Gallery presents around 30 to 40 paintings from the museum's Van Gogh collection. Currently, you will also find a number of works by Japanese artists. As an artist, Van Gogh was inspired by the Japanese tradition and sought to contribute to modern art. Vincent's work now enters into a dialogue with Japanese modern art from the museum's collection.
From 27 January to 10 February, Terrace of a Café at Night (Place du Forum) will not be on view due to conservation work. From 3 March to 17 March, Bridge at Arles (Pont de Langlois) will not be on view.
Vincent and Helene
Helene Kröller-Müller is searching for a spiritual dimension in her life. She can identify with the way Van Gogh finds this in his life: in humankind and nature. A large number of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings reveal Vincent's love for people and nature. He made numerous portraits of 'ordinary' people, and managed to capture the most beautiful landscapes on canvas. The artist recognises God, for whom he has great reverence, in nature and the pure existence of humankind. He is fascinated by hard-working country dwellers, whose strength and perseverance prevent them from being crushed by hard labour.
In 1908, Helene purchases her first Van Gogh at an auction: Edge of a Wood (1883). She pays 110 guilders for this work. In the twenty years that follow, the Kröller-Müller couple acquire no fewer than 88 paintings and 172 works on paper. Their budget is virtually unlimited. Helene considers Van Gogh to be 'one of the great spirits of modern art'.
The life and art of Van Gogh
Vincent was born in Zundert on 30 March 1853, the son of a pastor. Faith plays an important role in his upbringing. In 1880, after unsuccessful careers as an art dealer, teacher, theology student and preacher, Vincent decides to become an artist at the age of 27. He is convinced that he can also be of service to God as an artist. In his work, Vincent seeks to document the hard life of people who have to toil for their living.
The Dutch period
Van Gogh initially works in the Walloon region of the Borinage and in Brussels, but in April 1881 he returns to his parental home in Etten in Brabant. The local, poor peasant population provides the subject for many studies on paper. His main role model is the French artist Jean-François Millet: according to Vincent, the true peasant painter.
Van Gogh is an autodidact: he teaches himself to draw and paint. In the winter of 1881, he seeks support from his cousin by marriage Anton Mauve, who gives him painting lessons and instructs him to study still life painting. In late 1883, Vincent moves to Nuenen, where his father is a pastor. Here too, the peasant folk are his main source of inspiration. He works on a series of 'heads of the people', for which the locals with their characteristic heads serve as models. He paints them in dark, earthy tints, with strong light-dark contrasts, out of admiration for the old masters. These figure studies are in preparation for his first large composition: The Potato Eaters.
The French period
In November 1885, Vincent goes to Antwerp to study figure drawing at the academy. However, he finds the study too academic and after three months he leaves for Paris to move in with his brother Theo. After two years, he departs the busy city for the south of France, where he achieves an unprecedented mastery in his work. The impressionists' use of bright, vibrant colours and attention to light inspire him to experiment with bright, light colours and a looser brushstroke. His admiration for Japanese printmaking also influences his work. Van Gogh paints his last works of art in Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris, before his death in 1890.
Mental struggles
Van Gogh struggles with mental problems throughout his life. Among other things, he suffers from psychoses and hallucinations, and has alternating manic and depressive episodes. He spends some time in hospital, but after a brief period at home when he suffers a relapse, Vincent decides to voluntarily admit himself to a psychiatric hospital in Saint-Rémy. During his year-long stay, he continues to paint as much as possible. Van Gogh is not allowed to leave the premises for the first month, but finds inspiration in the hospital's lush garden with pine trees. One of his paintings from this time is The Garden of the Asylum at Saint-Rémy. Due to the diagonal path with a stone bench, he achieved a particularly spatial effect in this work. Van Gogh painted the exuberantly flowering trees and shrubs in a huge variety of shapes and colours. Referring to colours, the artist previously wrote to his sister Wil: ‘We need good cheer and happiness, hope and love. The uglier, older, meaner, iller, poorer I get, the more I wish to take my revenge by doing brilliant colour, well arranged, resplendent’.
Style, technique and innovation
The work of Vincent van Gogh falls under post-impressionism, a movement that followed the 19th-century impressionism and experimented with shape and colour, thick paint and clear lines, symbolism and personal expression. At the start of his career, Vincent worked mainly with pen, charcoal and Indian ink. Later, he also learns to work with oil paint. In his work, he initially used mostly dark colours; his later work is lighter and more colourful. He likes to experiment with contrasting colours that burst forth from the canvas.
Van Gogh's work had a major influence on expressionism, fauvism and early abstraction. The influence of his work is apparent in a lot of 20th-century art. Van Gogh is considered one of the greatest painters of the 19th century, even though his work became world-famous only after his death.
Discover the paintings of Van Gogh
Highlights of the collection
The museum's Van Gogh collection consists of over 90 paintings and 180 drawings. Some of the paintings are on display in the Van Gogh Gallery in the heart of the museum. For example, The Potato Eaters: one of Van Gogh's most famous paintings. We would like to tell you more about a number of these masterpieces.
Four Sunflowers Gone to Seed
In 1907, Helene Kröller-Müller decides to assemble a collection of modern painting. A year later, she purchases the still life Four Sunflowers Gone to Seed by Van Gogh. It is her second work of art by the painter, following her purchase of Edge of a Wood a few months earlier. It is a remarkable work because it is different from other paintings with flowers. The sunflowers are not in a vase or pot, it is no beautifully arranged bouquet and does not have a pleasing background. There are just a few cut, withered sunflowers to be seen. The flowers are painted full-size in warm and cool colours and fill the entire canvas. The swirling brushstrokes going in all directions and the indefinable space in which the flowers are located make the work a highlight of Van Gogh's Parisian period.
Bridge at Arles
In May 1912 Helene Kröller-Müller purchases the work Bridge at Arles at an auction of the Hoogendijk collection. She pays more than five times the asking price, causing quite a stir. When Van Gogh has been living in Paris for two years, he decides to travel to the south of France. He hears from artist friends about ‘the land of the blue tones and gay colours’. In Arles he paints several versions of the drawbridge over a canal near the town. The clear blue water forms a diagonal in the image, which leads the eye to the bridge and the covered wagon crossing it. He learnt about the use of such a large diagonal element from the Japanese prints he collected with his brother. According to Helene, the painting is one of the ‘most beautiful, most powerful, most crystal clear’ Van Goghs in her possession.
From 3 March to 17 March Bridge at Arles (Pont de Langlois) will not be on view due to conservation work.
Terrace of a Café at Night
Six months after arriving in Arles, Van Gogh paints Terrace of a Café at Night by the light of a gas lamp. The nocturnal painting, for which he uses no black, becomes one of the highlights of his oeuvre. Due to the abundant light on the walls and awning, and the orange floor, the terrace stands out sharply against the dark blues and green tints in the rest of the painting. The painting also features the first starry sky in Van Gogh's oeuvre. Later research shows that he painted the constellation of stars precisely as they appeared on 16 or 17 September.
From 27 January to 10 February, Terrace of a Café at Night (Place du Forum) will not be on view due to conservation work.
The Potato Eaters
Van Gogh makes studies of landscapes, peasants and weavers. Then he feels it is time for his first large painting, which must have the peasant life as its theme. The result is The Potato Eaters. He himself describes it as 'the peasants around a dish of potatoes'. Van Gogh is unsure whether to paint the family at the table in daylight or artificial light. He chooses the latter and devotes much attention to the effect of the light source. The girl in the foreground forms a silhouette, while the other figures are somewhat eerily lit. Fearing that the work might lose its liveliness, Van Gogh stops working on it when it still has a somewhat sketchy appearance. The Potato Eaters is without doubt the masterpiece of his Dutch period.
Self-Portrait
It's difficult to know yourself, but it's not easy to paint yourself either, according to Van Gogh. Even so, this did not prevent him from depicting himself frequently in oil paint. During his stay in Paris, he paints about twenty five, mostly small self-portraits. This self-portrait also dates from that time. Van Gogh probably painted so many self-portraits because he had no money to pay models during this period. He uses himself as a model to practise rendering faces and to experiment with his increasingly radical style. Helene Kröller-Müller purchases the self-portrait for ƒ 6,500 in 1919. It is the only self-portrait by Van Gogh in the museum's collection.
Now on display in the Van Gogh Gallery
Would you like to know which works of art by Vincent van Gogh are currently on display at the Kröller-Müller Museum? Find out in our collection search engine.
Van Gogh's works from the collection regularly travel abroad, including to Japan. This touring of works from the Van Gogh collection is a tradition: as early as 1912, Helene Kröller-Müller sent a number of artworks to Cologne for an exhibition. In 1959 the collection was already on display in Japan, and more recently the artworks have been enthusiastically received in Rome. In this way, art lovers in foreign countries can also enjoy Van Gogh's works.
Your visit to the Van Gogh Gallery
Will you be visiting the Van Gogh Gallery? The collection is arranged in a corridor around a small patio. Start your route with the paintings from Van Gogh's Dutch period and wander to the lighter-coloured paintings he created in France. Along the way, you can read more about his life and work on the walls and find Van Gogh's best quotes. Discover more about the Van Gogh collection with an audio tour or a guided tour!
With the Podcatcher audio tour, you will hear the background stories of around 30 works of art, including those by Vincent van Gogh. You can rent an audio tour for €2.50 for up to 90 minutes. The audio tour is available in Dutch, English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese and Chinese (Mandarin).
Book a guided tour or audio tour
Collaborations and partnerships
Van Gogh Europe
The Kröller-Müller Museum collaborates nationally and internationally with organisations that contribute to the promotion of and research into artworks and artists in the museum’s collection. For example, together with the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam and Van Gogh Brabant, the Kröller-Müller is a founding partner of Van Gogh Europe, which was established in 2012. The aim of the foundation is to make Van Gogh's legacy as widely accessible as possible in Europe.
Van Gogh Worldwide
For the digital platform Van Gogh Worldwide, the museum is collaborating with the RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History and the Van Gogh Museum. It is a unique, innovative and high-quality platform that brings together art-historical and material-technical information about Van Gogh's work.
Read more about our collaborations and partnerships
What else is there to see at the museum?
In addition to the works in the Van Gogh Gallery, the museum is home to many other surprising works of art that you won't want to miss. The collection comprises over 21,000 artworks, with masterpieces by various great masters. Not all the works are always on display; you will see them in varying combinations at the museum. The Van de Velde wing is the original museum building from the 1950s. Here you will find a large part of the collection that Helene Kröller-Müller assembled. The building provides an overview of the development of art in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: a journey through time!
Alongside the Van Gogh Gallery, you will find art by countless other great masters at the Kröller-Müller Museum. The museum has an impressive futurist collection and is the treasure trove of De Stijl, with works by Theo van Doesburg, Bart van der Leck and Piet Mondriaan, among others. Mondriaan's austere compositions in red, yellow and blue with black lines are known all over the world, such as Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue (1927). You can also admire paintings, drawings and sculptures by Pablo Picasso in the Kröller-Müller.
Another highlight of the collection is Monet's Studio-Boat (1874) by impressionist Claude Monet.
Don't forget the sculpture garden during your visit. Over 200 sculptures by iconic artists are dotted around the garden; from Aristide Maillol to Jean Dubuffet, from Marta Pan to Pierre Huyghe. The garden is also adorned by two pavilions, by Aldo van Eyck and by Gerrit Rietveld: architectural gems from the 1960s that were given a new home here. The sculpture garden is suitable for young and old.
Special exhibitions and events
In addition to the ever-changing collection presentation, the museum organises temporary exhibitions, which are often on display for several months. These exhibitions are regularly accompanied by events and activities where you can experience art in a new way.
Practical information
Prepare your visit to the museum and Van Gogh Gallery well, so you can make the most of your day. We advise you to order your tickets in advance via the website to save time when you arrive. Also arrange your ticket for De Hoge Veluwe National Park in advance, and possibly a parking ticket. Without a valid ticket for the park, you cannot visit the museum. The museum is open most days of the year, but always check our opening hours before travelling. Want to know more about the museum's accessibility, for example if you want to use a wheelchair or download the gallery texts in large-format letters? Then take a look at our Accessibility page. The Kröller-Müller has its own restaurants, a museum shop and a website. You can read all about these services on the pages Museum Restaurants and Museum Shop.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What are the opening hours?
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 to 17.00 hrs. We are also open on Mondays during school holidays. The museum is closed on 1 January. All information on opening hours can be found on the Opening Hours and Prices page.
Are guided tours available?
Yes, the museum organises several guided tours. These take you through the indoor collection as well as the sculpture garden. All information can be found on the Audio Tour and Guided Tours page.
How can I buy tickets?
You can buy tickets at the reception or online. The Kröller-Müller Museum is located in the middle of De Hoge Veluwe National Park. To get to the museum, you therefore also need a ticket for the park. More information on purchasing a ticket can be found on the Tickets page.
Is the Gallery accessible for wheelchair users?
The museum is easily accessible by wheelchair or mobility scooter. This also applies to the Van Gogh Gallery. Wheelchairs, walking frames, stools and children's buggies can be borrowed free of charge from the cloakroom. More information about accessibility.
Are visitors allowed to take photos in the Van Gogh Gallery?
Yes. You are allowed to take photos in the museum. However, you are not allowed to use a flash, a tripod or a selfie stick in the Kröller-Müller Museum.