Vincent Van Gogh is one of the world’s finest impressionist painters. His works, his short life and his impact on Western art take shape in a new exhibit; the Immersive Van Gogh Experience. The experience is often sold out weeks in advance and for good reason. The mix of projected images set to music is moving and will move you to learn more about Van Gogh himself and the more than 900 paintings he created in just 10 years.
The thirty-five-minute cinematic presentation runs on the loop, allowing guests to enter the exhibit at varying points in the show. Guests stay as long as they’d like. On our visit, we stopped at the cash bar for a beverage before entering one of three rooms, all displaying the same presentation. We chose to sit against the back wall in the first room for the remainder of the production. Click here for a video of the experience from the back wall.
Where to immerse yourself in the art
After the first production ended, we moved to another of the larger rooms in the exhibition. This time we sat in the middle of the floor next to one of the large triangular mirrors that run down the center of the exhibit floor. Also scattered throughout the exhibit are a few small benches and a couple of folding chairs. Guests who purchase a premium ticket should stop in the gift shop before entering the exhibit to pick up a cushioned pad/bean bag.
Selfie in one of the exhibit’s mirrors
Immersive Van Gogh is not a passive experience. The art, the images and the music surround you. Dozens of projectors reveal some of Van Gogh’s most famous works on walls, mirrors, the floor and on you, the exhibit-goer. Immersive Van Gogh is the work of filmmaker Massimiliano Siccardi and the classical soundtrack is from composer Luca Longobardi. Here’s a short video of Starry Night as seen from the exhibit hall floor.
In Chicago, where we saw the exhibition, there was a viewing balcony. For the third presentation of the exhibit, we watched from this higher and wider vantage point. No matter where you immerse yourself in the exhibit you will see and feel the works of Van Gogh unlike any art experience before.
The Immersive Van Gogh Experience was incredible. Look for a traveling exhibit in a city near you. I’ve also had the opportunity to visit Van Gogh’s Museum in Amsterdam. You can read more about the city and the museum here.
Happy Adventuring, Rochelle