Van Gogh in America

Van Gogh in America explores how Vincent van Gogh's work was introduced to the United States one hundred years later, highlighting the efforts of early promoters of modernism to frame his biography and introduce his art to America. The Detroit Institute of Arts was the first American public museum to purchase a Van Gogh painting, his Self-Portrait, in 1922.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 18 October 2022
Publisher: Yale University Press

A captivating journey into the introduction of Vincent van Gogh's work to the United States a century later, Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) stands as one of the most renowned artists in history, and the untold story of his rise to fame in the United States is a captivating tale. Van Gogh in America delves into the initial reception of the artist's work by American private collectors, civic institutions, and the general public, spanning from the time his work was first showcased in the United States at the 1913 Armory Show to his inaugural retrospective in an American museum at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1935, and beyond. At the heart of this project, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the very first American public museum to acquire a Van Gogh painting, his Self-Portrait, in 1922, commemorates the centenary of this historic event.

Leading Van Gogh scholars shed light on the remarkable endeavors undertaken by early promoters of modernism in the United States and Europe, including the Van Gogh family, Helene Kröller-Müller, numerous dealers, collectors, curators, and artists, private and public institutions, and even Hollywood, to shape the artist's biography and introduce his art to America.

Published by the Detroit Institute of Arts, this publication serves as a tribute to the enduring legacy of Vincent van Gogh and his profound impact on the art world.

The exhibition schedule for Van Gogh in America is as follows:

Detroit Institute of Arts
(October 2, 2022 – January 22, 2023)

Dimension: 279 x 254 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300247091