Amsterdam - Van Gogh museum

Van Gogh saw the world in a special way. In his paintings, he tried to capture many emotions, such as fear, sorrow, love, and hope. He constantly improved himself. This gives you a special look at an artist you might have thought you already knew. For more information and tickets, visit the website of the Van Gogh Museum.

Self-Portraits

Only one portrait photograph of Vincent has been preserved: one where he is 19 years old and looks somewhat stern. We mainly know what he looked like because he painted himself so often. There are about 35 self-portraits of him. These show that he had red hair, green eyes and an angular face. However, the faces are always different. Vincent himself wrote: 'People say – and I'm quite willing to believe it – that it's difficult to know oneself – but it's not easy to paint oneself either' . Vincent made his self-portraits because he wanted to practice painting people.

Cut-off Ear

On December 23, 1888, Vincent cut off his left ear, completly . It was the first of a series of breakdowns. Although he didn't want to say anything about the incident in his letters, he did 'report' on it in two self-portraits. Vincent did not portray himself as a sick, broken man to create a certain reputation or to evoke pity. He was convinced that painting would help him heal.

Parking at Van Gogh Museum

Visiting the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam? Park easily at The Bank car park, just a short distance away. Want to secure your spot in advance and enjoy a stress-free visit? Pre-book a parking space at car park IJdock and make the most of your museum visit!