Why is Van Gogh so popular?

On 2 June Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum celebrates its fiftieth birthday, marking its opening in 1973. With an impressive assortment donated by the grandson of Vincent’s brother Theo, it’s the world’s best museum dedicated to a single artist.

For this week’s publish, I interviewed Emilie Gordenker, who took over as director in February 2020. A specialist in Seventeenth-century Dutch artwork, she got here from the Mauritshuis in The Hague, the place she had been director since 2008.

The month after Gordenker’s arrival the museum needed to immediately shut due to Covid-19, thrusting the museum into what she describes as “the largest disaster” in its 50 years. On the eve of the anniversary celebrations, she speaks candidly concerning the achievements and challenges.

Martin Bailey: Coming to the museum, it’s essential to have thought quite a bit about why Van Gogh is kind of so widespread with guests from all all over the world. What makes him fairly so particular?

Emilie Gordenker: We all know a lot about Van Gogh’s private life story, by his letters. Most visible artists are usually not “bilingual”: their major language is visible and you might be fortunate if they’ll additionally categorical themselves in phrases, not to mention write in the way in which that he did. Van Gogh’s work are vibrant, his material is interesting, it’s different, he’s very direct. His life was considered one of working towards the chances: the difficulties that he surmounted represents an enchanting story, one providing solace and hope. There’s a freshness and immediacy to his work. Each era appears to rediscover him.

Individuals are equally thinking about Van Gogh’s story and his artwork. How as a museum do you cope with the story—and notably his issues?

Till just a few years in the past we within the museum didn’t discuss a lot about Van Gogh’s psychological state. There was then an excellent analysis mission that resulted in an exhibition in 2016, On the Verge of Madness. Now, presently, loads of younger persons are fighting psychological well being points and are extra open about speaking about them. Van Gogh gives us—by his writing, his work, his life story—a manner of speaking about our personal conditions.

We’re at an awfully polarised second, whether or not in politics or in our society. Museums are locations the place folks typically belief us. We’re a spot the place issues can get mentioned, utilizing the instance of Van Gogh. It’s a manner of participating with folks.

What do guests like and dislike about your museum?

We commonly monitor customer reactions and at all times rating very nicely. But when there’s a vital be aware, it’s about crowds. Individuals are rather more simply disturbed by crowds, post-Covid.

How are you coping with crowding?

Reputation is a pleasant downside to have, however a thorny one. After I arrived we sat down with the employees and board to write down a brand new technique. Covid pushed us to suppose actually arduous about these points. My predecessors did a marvellous job throughout a progress interval: then it was all about extra. However that couldn’t preserve happening without end.

Now we have extra guests per sq. metre than another main museum on this planet. Now we have an excellent location, a giant title and an important assortment, however a comparatively small constructing.

If you put all these items collectively there may be extra demand than we are able to present for. There are only a few silver linings to Covid, however timed ticketing is considered one of them. Guests have gotten used to that concept – and we’re going to preserve it.

The message isn’t that we need to preserve folks out. Quite the opposite, we wish folks to return, however we wish them to have a pleasing go to.

What does this imply when it comes to numbers?

Throughout Covid I used to be confronted with the museum’s greatest disaster in our almost 50-year historical past. We obtain comparatively little subsidy from the federal government and a big a part of our revenue comes from ticket gross sales. When half of your revenue drops out, you suppose very arduous about your monetary mannequin. It was a chance to rethink that.

We began from scratch. We started by pondering on a price foundation: to hold out our programme, how a lot do we have to do this? Then the subsequent query is, what’s the minimal variety of guests we have to obtain our aim?

It is a totally different mind-set. Prior to now, “extra was higher”: the more cash you bought, the extra you probably did. As a substitute we mentioned, what is de facto necessary to do? Which guests are we not reaching and why? After which, how a lot cash do we have to do it?

We labored out that we’ll be financially viable with 1 / 4 fewer guests than we acquired pre-Covid. In 2019 we had greater than 2.1m guests, however now we have now selected 1.6m a yr. Final yr, with Covid, we had 1.3m, however this yr it is going to be 1.6m or presumably extra, however we do not need to scale up excessively.

Could not you develop your constructing, permitting for extra guests?

It’s doable, however it could most likely be underground. That is one thing we need to begin exploring later this yr, however it could take a very long time to finish.

How do you organize your exhibition programme?

This was one of many issues that I needed to resolve on in a short time, because the scheduled programme needed to be thrown overboard due to Covid. It was a chance to suppose what can we need to do, going ahead. In what interval of the yr would you like which sort of exhibition?

We determined that the autumn, when now we have fewer vacationers, needs to be a time for focussing on our Dutch guests. The notion of our museum had turn out to be a difficulty within the Netherlands, the place we have been seen as for vacationers. It was time to rethink the messaging, so our Dutch guests would rediscover us. I need them to fall in love with us once more. That knowledgeable my eager about exhibitions. Within the autumn we’ll plan stable, well-researched reveals with loans.

Spring will probably be extra of an exhibition playground. Will probably be a time to suppose extra broadly – possibly a mission with artists of our personal time, maybe a thematic present, presumably one thing outdoors one’s standard consolation zone or perhaps a very scholarly present with not so many guests.

In summer time we’ll convey again the exhibition that we had earlier this yr concerning the Van Gogh household, Selecting Vincent. It’s an important story for first-time guests. We’ll current the identical present subsequent yr, with some modifications, and in the next few summers to return.

So there will probably be fewer mortgage reveals. Is that this to economize?

That was a consideration, however not the one one. It was largely about establishing a rhythm. However while you see the rising prices of main mortgage reveals, notably for transport and insurance coverage, you actually do need to suppose how a lot you need to spend. After all we’re going to proceed with mortgage reveals, since that’s what we do nicely.

How are you going to rejoice the museum’s fiftieth anniversary?

With a really massive occasion in Museumplein (the massive sq. beside the museum). Will probably be open to everybody within the afternoon of two June.

Within the Netherlands, now we have a customized that in your birthday you give one thing again to your pals, it’s referred to as a traktatie (deal with). What it’s, will probably be a shock.

Now for probably the most tough query: What’s going to the museum be like in 50 years from now?

Nobody has a crystal ball. However Van Gogh has had a resonance for each era. I totally anticipate that to proceed, however precisely how I can’t inform you.

Will folks nonetheless be going to museums?

I’m completely sure of that. Now we have gone in a short time from a tradition that’s word-based to 1 that’s visible. That has actually assisted us as a museum: persons are extra comfy about taking a look at issues. So the proliferation of pictures has helped us make what now we have clearer.

The digital is right here to remain, it gives us quite a bit, nevertheless it doesn’t substitute the precise expertise of seeing a murals. Folks very a lot need to see an object. It’s at all times totally different seeing an paintings in a bodily manner, a portray on a wall.