Van Gogh and Britain:

Pioneer Collectors

About the
exhibition

The life story of Vincent van Gogh has become legendary and his work is amongst the formative influences on twentieth-century arts. This was the first exhibition to focus on collectors of Van Gogh and consists of paintings and drawings acquired by British collectors in the period before 1939.

The work of Van Gogh (1853-90) is characterised by dynamic brushwork and vibrant colours. The exhibition at Compton Verney offered a representative selection of works from the artist’s entire career, with the majority dating from his time spent in Paris, Provence and Auvers. Works included A Wheatfield with Cypresses (1889), Peach Blossom in the Crau (1889) and Rain-Auvers (1890).

It is generally assumed that the British appreciation of Van Gogh came later than in other countries, but this exhibition revealed the identity of a number of pioneer collectors of the artist’s work. The exhibition also featured rarely seen archival material, photographs and correspondence relating to the collectors and works.

Organised by Compton Verney and the National Galleries of Scotland