(Ecns) -- His works may be well known to many, but the stories behind them might not.
On Wednesday, the Meet Vincent Van Gogh exhibition kicked off its world premiere in Beijing to offer a journey into the life and soul of one of the greatest artists in the 20th century.
Divided into six chapters, the exhibition explores Van Gogh's early life, as an emerging artist in the Netherlands, Antwerp and Paris, his time in Arles in southern France, the period of his illness and, last but not least, the artist's astonishing legacy and relevance more than 125 years after his death.
The exhibition is presented by the Van Gogh Museum of the artist's homeland and the co-founding partner Artcomm. It will also tour to other Chinese cities including Shanghai and Macao over the next five years with its solo Chinese promoter Wai Chun Culture.
With the assistance of multimedia technology, Van Gogh's story is told in a multi-sensory way. Visitors can tour Van Gogh's "bedroom" -- a lifelike reproduction of his famous painting, study the use of color with balls of wool as Van Gogh did, touch the copy of his oil paintings to feel the strokes, and look through the "window" of his ward to see the views he saw and learn about how he turned them into art pieces.
Throughout the journey, visitors are also guided by quotations from over 800 private letters and family photos that reveal little-known complexities of the artist's personality and art practice. Through the words of Vincent himself, his brother Theo, his sister-in-law Jo Bonger and other key persons, visitors are offered intimate insight into Van Gogh's mind and troubled psyche, his important moments as well as the context of his great arts.
"Compared to other Van Gogh-themed exhibitions, this one focused more on the story-telling rather than presenting the original artworks themselves," said Axel Rüger, director of the Van Gogh Museum.
Founded in 1973 and related in many ways to the artist's family, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has the largest Van Gogh collection in the world, including more than 200 oil paintings, 500 drawings and 750 letters. Unfortunately, many of the paintings have rarely left the museum and some have never travelled due to their vulnerability.
Recognizing the long-lasting interest in Van Gogh globally, the museum believes it should keep promoting accessibility to Van Gogh's knowledge and legacy.
"We hope we can enjoy art together," said Willem van Gogh, adviser to the Board of the Van Gogh Museum and great grandson of Vincent's brother Theo Van Gogh.
When the Van Gogh Museum offered to present an innovative, knowledge-encompassing exhibition, China was one of the most dedicated to answer the call. Ching Kui Lam, CEO of Wai Chun Culture, believes the unique experience will be complementary to gallery tours, and a chance to educate and inspire China's younger generation. "Let's hope a Van Gogh would emerge in China some day," he said.
If you go:
Opening hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, June 15 to September 16
Place: Meet Vincent van Gogh Pavilion, Golden Resources Mall Southeast Plaza, No. 1 Yuanda Road, Haidian District, Beijing
Note: Audio guide in Chinese and English is available
