Van Gogh's Brabant: A Tour of the Artist's Dutch Roots

VisitBrabant, the tourism board of the Dutch province, has launched a curated tour of sites linked to Vincent van Gogh's life in Brabant, coinciding with the exhibition 'Van Gogh's Inner Circle' at Het Noordbrabants Museum in Den Bosch (until January 12, 2020). The tour includes locations normally closed to the public, spanning the municipalities of Nuenen, Etten-Leur, and Zundert. Among the stops is the Van Gogh House in Zundert, where the artist was born on March 30, 1853; now a visual arts center hosting residencies, it retains the original church, cemetery, and garden. In Etten-Leur, the Van Gogh Church marks the period from March 1881 when van Gogh lived there for nine months, deciding to pursue painting; it features stained glass, informational panels, and temporary exhibitions such as 'Closer to van Gogh' by Marc Boom (until December 22, 2020). In Nuenen, where van Gogh resided from 1883 to 1885 and produced a quarter of his entire oeuvre—including 'The Potato Eaters'—a bronze sculpture depicts the scene. The Vincentre Nuenen offers an immersive, interactive museum experience (without original works) detailing his life and relationships. The tour also includes 23 buildings and sites with direct ties to the painter, such as the home of Margot Begemann, his great love.