Exhibition When I Give, I Give Myself

What do Vincent van Gogh’s ideas and insights mean to artists today? In the exhibition 'When I Give, I Give Myself', 23 contemporary artists respond to letters written by Van Gogh.
20 May 2015 – 17 January 2016

The works of 23 Dutch and international artists and writers provide a contemporary trail through the permanent collection, placing Vincent van Gogh in a different light.

Vincent van Gogh wrote over 800 letters, mainly to his brother Theo. In these letters, he movingly describes his ambitions and his doubts, as well as what inspired and amazed him in the world around him. The ideas about art and life which Van Gogh expressed in his letters are inextricably linked to his work.
Contemporary artists respond to Van Gogh

What do Van Gogh’s ideas and insights mean to artists and for art as it is practised today? The artists each received a specially selected Van Gogh letter. They responded in a piece of art, a letter or a poem.

Their surprising answers are displayed in the Van Gogh Museum among the works of Van Gogh.

Open Call for artists in training

The importance of continual development and self-reflection still matters to artists in training today, as it did to Van Gogh. How do they see this process? What does it mean to be a young and aspiring artist?

The Van Gogh Museum invites all full-time and part-time students who are following a course in art or culture at a recognised Dutch educational institution to take part in an open call.

Submit a proposal for a work of art that responds to a fragment from one of the letters of Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo. You can send in a proposal up to 22 October 2015. The winning artwork will be on view from December in the exhibition When I Give, I Give Myself.