I was in Amsterdam last weekend, my plane was blown off by Storm Eunice just before most flights were cancelled. Trains and buses to the city stopped early that afternoon for safety reasons. Thousands of people were waiting for a taxi in line at the airport, but all the mobiles shook and rattled. Buffett to the city of my taxi was like being randomly beaten by a giant’s hand.
A tree had fallen in the city. They fell into a car, towards a canal house, into a canal, and into a houseboat moored there. The tractor desperately moved from the felled trees to the felled trees, breaking them apart with a chainsaw and taking them away.
The rain was terrible. The sky is the darkest gray. One storm replaced another, but to me it looked like one constant, seamless roar.
By the next morning, the wind was still barking, though not so badly. I walked to the Van Gogh Museum for a pre-booked time frame. Nowadays, it is common to pre-book tickets for many popular museums and galleries in European cities. I don’t like planning my life in advance, though.
From 11:00 am, I enjoyed a stroll through the museums, which are more or less chronologically organized. I’ve never been there before and was particularly pleased to see his painting of my old boots that had been my beloved for a long time. There was a small self-portrait of him, and he stared hard at himself and had a stippled brush stroke. With a yellow bed, blue walls and block furniture, Arles’ bedroom had a very satisfying composition. There were only blue and white dazzling flowers of the famous sunflowers, lilies, and almonds.
As I walked around, I noticed three gift shops, each at a different level. It’s as great as the paintings on display, but the Van Gogh Museum isn’t big. As I said vaguely, the three gift shops seemed to be abundant in one small museum. Like many, I love gallery and museum gift shops, and when I’ve finished looking at the artwork, I started looking at these shops.
Tea set
In short, each store took a specific picture and branded it. Sunflower, lily and almond flowers have become unimaginable to be branded. Forget the umbrella, tchotchke and tea towel. There was a crazy and expensive tea set “inspired” by Yuri. Playmobil Vincent (for museums only) lying on the Playmobil bed in the Playmobil bedroom in Arles. Sticky but very expensive sunflower and lily themed jewelery.
There were mugs, knit dolls, duvet covers, cheese slicers, water bottles, fans, screens, cushions, silver-plated tea caddies, jigsaw puzzles, and bath towels. And many more items. With a Van Gogh theme, you can easily decorate your entire home.
At what point I wondered, does the desperate amount of goods begin to make the work it represents cheaper? Is the Van Gogh Museum really one of the huge shops disguised as a gallery? Is it something that visitors are allowed to say out loud, or is it a sacrifice?
I was in the shop on the 3rd floor by this stage. The visual overload of hundreds of branded items has hurt my head. It was in this store that the most daring products were on display. A replica of an almond flower hung on a wall near an automated teller machine. There was a signboard under it. “The Van Gogh Museum Edition represents a collection of premium quality limited edition 3D reproductions of Vincent van Gogh’s masterpieces. Each reproduction is part of 260 limited editions and certified editions per painting.”
What is the price of a fake, sorry, certified replica created by one of Van Gogh’s masterpiece machines? Why only € 17,500 each. I made some calculations. This is over € 4.5 million per “limited edition” duplication, and he has created many masterpieces.
heritage
The question is not who in us is stupid enough to let go of such a huge amount of money for the luxury equivalent of a poster. That’s why international museums so ironically take advantage of the work of long-lived artists who have a legacy they intend to protect.
As everyone remembers, Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime. His work is now commanding an astonishing total. Last November, Christie’s in New York sold four paintings for a total of $ 161 million.
Van Gogh’s paintings named after him will never be put up for sale (hopefully). However, it is true that most visual artists who create real paintings shamelessly whiplash a copy of his computer-generated work at a price that is rarely received.
There was also a quote from Van Gogh himself on the sign promoting the reproduction. It’s as if the museum is trying to reassure buyers that the artist, who died at the age of 37, would approve their ridiculous purchase.
“It’s a perfect match for Vincent van Gogh’s spirit.” In fact, I believe we’re doing it in a way that we don’t have to regret participating. “
Is it exactly in line with Van Gogh’s spirit, which was not recognized as a genius in Van Gogh’s life? I do not think so. A miserable and more ironic hustle and bustle, I’ve never seen in a museum.
