Van Gogh Exhibition at Basilica Palladiana Traces the Artist's Life Through 80+ Works

The Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza hosts a major exhibition on Vincent van Gogh, curated by Marco Goldin, featuring over 80 drawings and paintings that trace the artist's journey from the dark landscapes of the Netherlands to the luminous south of France. The show juxtaposes works with excerpts from van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo, highlighting the intimate connection between his drawing and painting. It explores his early years in the Netherlands, where he developed a 'grammar of the soul' through depictions of peasants and laborers, and his later period in Provence, where nature became a vehicle for his emotions. The exhibition includes a large model of the psychiatric hospital at Saint-Rémy, where van Gogh sought refuge. It also addresses key biographical events such as his conflicts with Gauguin, the ear mutilation, and his eventual suicide in Auvers-sur-Oise. The show emphasizes van Gogh's struggle for recognition—he sold only one painting during his lifetime—and his posthumous influence on the avant-garde.