Van Gogh Museum Visitor's Guide

A must-see Amsterdam attraction, the Van Gogh Museum houses the world's largest collection of Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), as well as exhibitions of several 19th-century artists, including the Impressionists.

Opened in 1973, the museum evokes an emotional experience for visitors, as the galleries follow Van Gogh's often-troubled artistic career of just 10 years.

The audio tour offers interpretation of his work, excerpts from his letters and an explanation of his impact on art.

• Location: Museum Quarter neighborhood. Address: Paulus Potterstraat 7 (south of the Rijksmuseum on the Museumplein).
  
  
• Hours: Open daily 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Extended hours on Fridays to 10 p.m. Ticket office closes 30 minutes before museum.
  
  
• Closed: January 1
  
  
• Phone: +31 (0)20 570 52 00
  
  
• Admission: Adults: € 10; Ages 13 - 17: € 2.50; Under 12: Free. Special exhibitions may be more.
  
  
• Audio Tour: Additional € 4 (available in Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin and Russian).

• Multimedia Tour: Additional € 4 (available in Dutch and English). This new tool offers reproductions, photographs, letters, drawings, interviews, film clips, music and games on a handheld computer.
  
  
• Children: Ask about the children's audio tour (€ 2.50, ages 7 - 12) and special "open atelier" weekend workshops (€ 4, ages 6 - 12). Find a "treasure hunt" idea and blank coloring pages online.
  
  
• Accessibility: All rooms are wheelchair-accessible and the museum will provide wheelchairs upon request.

• By Tram: Line 2 or 5 to the Van Baerlestraat stop (which is actually on Paulus Potterstraat).
  
  Line 3, 12, 16 or 24 to the Museumplein stop (five-minute walk across the park to entrance).
  
  
• By Water: The Canal Bus and Museum Boat both make stops on the Singelgracht, just across from the northern face of the Rijksmuseum (10-minute walk to Van Gogh Museum from here).
  
  
• By Car: Parking is available in the Q Park parking garage at Museumplein. Use the entrance on Van Baerlestraat.

• When to Go: Lines outside the Van Gogh Museum can look daunting, but they move quickly. Weekends are the busiest days; go early on a weekday morning or during Friday night extended hours to avoid crowds. Summer is high tourist season in Amsterdam (read When to Go to Amsterdam for more seasonal highlights).
  
  
• Pre-purchased Tickets: Bypass the lines altogether when you buy tickets online (you'll need a credit card and printer) or at any of the Amsterdam Tourist Offices ("VVV") ahead of time.

The on-site museum shop, accessible only for paid visitors, offers a comprehensive selection of posters and books on Van Gogh and other 19th-century artists. Forgot your souvenir? You can shop online. Stalls on the Museumplein also sell Van Gogh merchandise.

The (in-house) museum restaurant serves drinks, snacks and simple lunch options, as well as a full dinner (€ 13.50) on Friday nights. Open daily 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (Fridays until 9:30 p.m., kitchen closes 15 minutes earlier).

Locations change periodically, but the collection is generally divided in this way:

• Ground* and Third Floors: Permanent collection of 19th-century schools, styles and artists Van Gogh emulated, including Realism (Courbet), Impressionism (Pissarro, Monet, Manet, Sisley, Cézanne) and Post-Impressionism (Toulouse-Lautrec).
  
  ^{*This is the floor on which you enter.}
  
  
• First* Floor: Permanent collection of Van Gogh paintings (most from his brother Theo), in chronological order over five periods of his life.

^{*Remember, the European "first" floor is one floor above the ground floor.}


• Second Floor: Permanent collection, print room and temporary educational exhbitions, such as restoration research and comparative displays. A new study area features computers with Internet access. Some smaller Van Gogh works are also on display here.
  
  
• Special Exhibition Wing: Opened in 1999, the oval building houses rotating exhibitions of 19th-century artists (admission included in € 10 fee, unless otherwise stated).

• Early Work to 1886 (the Netherlands)
  
  
  • See the beginnings of Van Gogh's career, which include somber depictions of landscape and peasant subjects.
    
    
  • In The Potato Eaters, his first large-format work, Van Gogh shows the unglamorous life of farmers by deliberately using the shadowy colors of a dusty potato.
  
  
• Paris 1886 - 1888
  
  
  • Living with his brother Theo in the artsy Montmartre district of Paris, Van Gogh experiments with color, form and technique. He also completes 27 self-portraits during this time.

• In Self Portrait with Felt Hat, 1888, we see Van Gogh's use of "pointillism," a technique of small dots and lines inspired by Neo-Impressionism.
  
  
• The bright colors and strong lines of The Courtesan show his admiration for Japanese wood cuts and prints.


• Arles 1888 - 1889
  
  
  • When Van Gogh moves to the southern French town of Arles to escape busy city life, he returns to painting rural life. But the ever-present sun of Provence inspires much brighter, more colorful work than that of his cloudy Netherlands period. It is also here that he cuts off part of his own ear in a fit of rage.
    
    
  • He paints Sunflowers here, a gift for fellow artist Paul Gaugin.
    
    
  • Works of blossoming trees, like The Pink Peach Tree, are stunning and show Van Gogh's appreciation for the transient nature of spring.
    
    
  • Also here is The Bedroom, in which we see his personal living area in a strangely skewed perspective.
  
  
• Saint-Rémy 1889 - 1890
  
  
  • After spending time in an Arles hospital, Van Gogh continues to suffer from his mental illness, a sort of epilepsy or perhaps bipolar disorder. In 1889, he admits himself to a clinic in nearby Saint-Rémy.
    
    
  • When allowed to work in the gardens and woods around the hospital, he paints pieces like The Garden of St. Paul's Hospital and Undergrowth.
    
    
  • Often times he uses his personal style to copy masters, as in The Raising of Lazarus (originally by Rembrandt).
  
  
• Auvers-sur-Oise 1890
  
  
  • After leaving the hospital, Van Gogh heads to this village near Paris, where he produces 80 paintings in the last two months of his short life.
    
    
  • Although he finds the landscapes of Auvers beautiful (see View of Auvers), he is often extremely depressed during this time.
    
    
  • Van Gogh completes Wheatfield with Crows in the last few weeks of his life. It is widely speculated to symbolize his sadness and imminent death (e.g., the paths leading to nowhere and the foreboding sky). Van Gogh shoots himself on July 27, 1890, and dies two days later from his wounds.