Amsterdam - Van Gogh Museum

(Local Name: Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh) The biggest Van Gogh collection in the world (a donation from Van Gogh's brother Theo and his nephew V. W. Van Gogh), formerly in the Stedelijk Museum, has been housed since 1972 in the museum specially built for it by Gerrit Rietveld. The collection consists of around 200 paintings, 500 drawings and 700 letters. There are also works by those of Van Gogh's contemporaries who influenced him or were influenced by him. The ground floor of the museum has works from between 1880 and 1887, a period characterized by realistic painting in very dark tones ("The Potato Eaters", 1885). The first floor shows work from 1887 to 1890 and the pictures glowing with broad brushstrokes of contrasting color clearly reveal the influence on Van Gogh of the Impressionists. Most were painted in and around Arles ("Vase with Sunflowers", "The Yellow House", "The Sower", etc.). The second floor has etchings and drawings. Van Gogh's works on the third floor are arranged thematically along with those of his contemporaries (including Henri Fantin Latour, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Gauguin). The Museum Library contains literature about Van Gogh and his time. There is also a workshop attached to the museum for teaching aimed at encouraging people to create their own art (e.g. courses in photography, painting and various print techniques).