Starting signal for Rural Van Gogh
Van Gogh's wonder for Drenthe and Brabant nature connects heritage sites in both provinces.
Van Gogh Brabant, Marketing Drenthe, VisitBrabant and the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions (NBTC) will be working closely together over the coming years to shape The Rural Van Gogh. This collaboration was confirmed on Monday, November 7 at the North Brabant Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch during a working visit by a delegation from Drenthe to North Brabant.
Van Gogh visit to the region
In 2023, it will be exactly 140 years since Vincent van Gogh arrived in New Amsterdam, Drenthe, and the same year he moved to Nuenen, North Brabant. Van Gogh is still a world-famous icon; his cultural heritage attracts many international visitors to the Netherlands each year, and in the coming years there will be increased collaboration to connect Vincent van Gogh's heritage in North Brabant and Drenthe. By establishing the relationship with the landscape where the painter found his inspiration, the collaborating partners aim to develop new sustainable tourist offerings for visitors who are interested in small scale and the combination of culture and nature.
Jos Vranken NBTC: "An important pillar of Perspective 2030, the national vision for tourism, is the distribution of international visitors to the region. We focus, among other things, on making cultural heritage more experienceable, bookable and visible in order to attract valuable visitors to the region. We do this by initiating partnerships, exchanging knowledge and insights, strengthening the cultural offering in places where this is desirable and increasing the international visibility of cultural heritage. The collaboration with Van Gogh Brabant, Marketing Drenthe and VisitBrabant fits this perfectly." Astrid Crum, Marketing Drenthe adds: "An ambition in Drenthe's translation of Perspective 2030 is to strengthen and communicate Drenthe's cultural identity. The heritage sites and landscape that inspired Van Gogh contribute to this and strengthen the pride of the inhabitants."
Program The Rural Van Gogh
2023 is an important year for Van Gogh lovers. There will be a Van Gogh exhibition at the Drents Museum and several museums will open their doors after extensive renovations: Museum Vincentre in Nuenen, the Van Gogh House in Nieuw Amsterdam and the Vincent Van Gogh House in Zundert.A seminar will be organized in Brabant on March 30, Van Gogh's 170th birthday, and a Van Gogh cycle route will open in Drenthe in the spring.Under the banner Van Gogh Europe, programming for 2028: the year in which Vincent van Gogh's 175th birthday will be celebrated, will be underway from 2023.
Background information
Vincent van Gogh was born in 1853 in Brabant, in the southern part of the Netherlands. There lies the origin of his exceptional talent and idiosyncratic nature. In Brabant he developed his love of nature and authentic man, themes that recur throughout his oeuvre. The Brabant locations where Van Gogh lived and worked have joined forces under the name Van Gogh Brabant. Three heritage sites, 40 Van Gogh monuments and the collection of original works in The North Brabant Museum recount his life's journey. Visitors will get to know Vincent up close: from his childhood in Zundert, to the start of his career in Etten, from drawing lessons in Tilburg to his first masterpiece in Nuenen.
For three months of the year 1883, Vincent van Gogh stayed in Drenthe. A short but important period in his life, his residence and workshop, the current Van Gogh House in Veenoord/New Amsterdam, is open to the public. On the advice of artist friends, Van Gogh came to Drenthe to be inspired by the primal landscape and the peat workers of Drenthe. 'The country is superbe, superbe, everything calls to you: painter! So real and so varied.'
Van Gogh found peace and origin in Drenthe 'It is here so completely & all that I like. That is, 'tis peace here.' For a moment on his own, without a safety net, Van Gogh was able to develop his passion for art in peace. He experimented with style, technique and themes, which can be found in his later works. That original life and landscape is still there in Drenthe! Like Vincent, you can still find the space there to recharge. 'So I say unto thee, plant thyself in the soil of Drenthe - thou shalt germinate there.'