Yearly sees growing curiosity in Vincent van Gogh, and this can be a actually world phenomenon. The Dutch artist is now a megastar in East Asia—in China, Korea and Japan. Right here, we evaluation the Van Gogh yr in 2025.
The large shock of the yr was information that the Van Gogh Museum might have to shut its doorways except the Dutch state offers more cash to assist take care of its buildings. Emilie Gordenker, the Amsterdam museum director, revealed in August that with out deliberate renovations, the museum “won’t be able to ensure the protection of the gathering, guests and workers”. It will then be “compelled to shut”.
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (picture: Jan Kees Steenman)
The museum receives €8.5m a yr from the federal government to take care of its buildings, however Gordenker says it’s important for the subsidy to be elevated to €11m. Because the Dutch authorities owns the buildings, she argues that it should “fulfil its legally established obligations”. The museum has filed a authorized grievance towards the federal government, asserting that the state has breached its 1962 settlement with the Van Gogh household. This difficulty was on account of be addressed in court docket on 19 February 2026, however the date has now been delayed.
In the meantime, the museum experiences that it expects to obtain a complete of 1,860,000 guests in 2025, with 1,500,000 from overseas. This complete is similar to 2024 (1,843,000) and displays the truth that the museum now restricts ticket gross sales, to keep away from overcrowding and supply an excellent customer expertise.
Public sale information
Van Gogh’s Parisian Novels (November-December 1887) offered for $62.7m at Sotheby’s, New York on 20 November Sotheby’s
Through the yr solely two Van Gogh work had been offered at public sale: Within the Dunes (September 1883, $4m at Christie’s) and Parisian Novels (November-December 1887, $62.7m at Sotheby’s). The Sotheby’s portray achieved a document worth for a Van Gogh work of his Paris interval (earlier Dutch photos go for much less and works accomplished after the artist’s transfer to Provence can go for extra). Parisian Novels is now the seventh costliest Van Gogh ever auctioned. It’s believed to have been offered to a Chinese language purchaser. Patrons from China have now turn out to be the main collectors of Van Gogh’s work.
Van Gogh’s Sower in a Wheatfield with setting Solar (July 1888), offered for $11.2m at Sotheby’s, New York on 18 November Sotheby’s
Eight drawings offered at public sale in 2025, with Sower in a Wheatfield with setting Solar (July 1888, $11.2m at Sotheby’s) fetching a document worth for a Van Gogh work on paper. The others had been: Public Backyard with Benches in Place Lamartine (April 1888, $3m at Sotheby’s); Public Backyard at Arles (September 1888, £2.2m at Sotheby’s); Girl in a Wooden (September-October 1882, $953,000 at Sotheby’s); Fisherman with Basket on his Again (January-February 1883, $699,000 at Christie’s); Head of a Peasant Girl, left Profile (December 1884-Could 1885, £419,000 at Sotheby’s); Sower (December 1882, €483,000 at Sotheby’s); and The Sower (September-October 1881, €213,000 at Ketterer Kunst, Munich).
Acquisitions revealed
Van Gogh’s Tarascon Stagecoach (October 1888), given to the Los Angeles County Museum of Artwork Los Angeles County Museum of Artwork (reward of Henry and Rose Pearlman Basis)
Two acquisitions had been introduced this yr. Most essential was Van Gogh’s Tarascon Stagecoach (October 1888), which was acquired by the Los Angeles County Museum of Artwork, as a part of a significant reward by the Henry and Rose Pearlman Basis. On 21 December it can go on show in Amassing Impressionism at Lacma after which from 22 February will probably be proven in Los Angeles with almost 50 Pearlman works which have been given to Lacma, the Brooklyn Museum of Artwork and New York’s Museum of Trendy Artwork.
Hong Gyu Shin along with his Van Gogh work, Head of a Peasant (January-March 1885), now on mortgage to the Ulsan Museum of Artwork Ulsan Museum of Artwork
Head of a Peasant (January-March 1885) was purchased final yr by Hong Gyu Shin, a Korean-born New York-based gallery proprietor. It’s the first identified acquisition by a collector from Korea. The acquisition was unveiled in Could, when it went on show at KAIST Artwork Museum, in Korea’s southern metropolis of Daejeon. Head of a Peasant then travelled to the Ulsan Museum of Artwork, in south-east Korea, for the exhibition Van Gogh and Past: the Shin Assortment (till 8 February 2026).
Distinctive exhibitions
Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers at London’s Nationwide Gallery, which closed on 19 January Photograph: The Artwork Newspaper
This yr noticed two excellent Van Gogh reveals. The primary, at London’s Nationwide Gallery, opened in 2024 and closed on 19 January this yr. Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers focussed on Van Gogh’s interval in Provence (February 1888-Could 1889). Its energy lay within the high quality of the loans, assembled from world wide. It attracted 335,000 guests, a document for a paid exhibition on the Nationwide Gallery.
Van Gogh’s Postman Joseph Roulin (August 1888) and the chair on which he sat, offered in Van Gogh and the Roulins: Collectively Once more at Final (Van Gogh Museum, till 11 January 2026) Portray from the Museum of Superb Arts, Boston and chair from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (picture: The Artwork Newspaper)
The opposite main present was of Van Gogh’s portraits of the postman Joseph Roulin and his household, which opened at Boston’s Museum of Superb Arts, the place it was seen by 280,000 guests. It then transferred to the Van Gogh Museum, the place 14 of the 23 portraits of the postman, his spouse and three kids had been proven, together with related gadgets. There may be simply time to catch the exhibition earlier than it closes on 11 January 2026.
Japanese Van Gogh lovers had been notably lucky this yr, with two touring reveals from Dutch museums. Collectively the 2 shows have almost 90 work and drawings by the artist, virtually 5% of his oeuvre. An exhibition of works from the Kröller-Müller Museum goes to 3 venues, opening on the Kobe Metropolis Museum (till 1 February 2026) and occurring to Fukushima and Tokyo. The Van Gogh Museum exhibition has been in Osaka and Tokyo this yr and is about to open at Nagoya’s Aichi Prefectural Museum of Artwork (3 January–23 March 2026).
Intriguing tales
The Van Gogh portrait Henri Matisse needed and the bicycle for his brother Auguste: L’Arlesienne (April 1890) and Lucien Baylac’s poster for Acatène (1898) Museu de Arte de São Paulo and JJs/Alamy Inventory
The Adventures with Van Gogh weblog delved into some shocking tales this yr. We reported on how the younger artist Henri Matisse had needed to purchase a Van Gogh portray in 1899, however as an alternative used the cash to assist his brother purchase a bicycle.
On the finish of the Second World Battle, when the Dutch had been going through a famine, Vincent’s nephew exchanged two Van Gogh drawings for butter and bacon. One got here up on the market this yr, Head of a Peasant Girl, left Profile, and it went for £419,000—fairly greater than it was price in 1945.
Not many Londoners know of Winfield Home, the US ambassadorial residence hidden away in a well-protected a part of Regent’s Park. Through the Sixties two rich US ambassadors introduced their very own Van Gogh work with them, to hold within the reception rooms.
And final September Adventures with Van Gogh marked its three hundredth weblog submit by that includes the ten hottest articles. All earlier posts can be found right here.
NOTE TO READERS: Adventures with Van Gogh will probably be taking a Christmas break, returning on 9 January 2026
Martin Bailey is a number one Van Gogh specialist and particular correspondent for The Artwork Newspaper. He has curated exhibitions on the Barbican Artwork Gallery, Compton Verney/Nationwide Gallery of Scotland and Tate Britain.
Martin Bailey’s current Van Gogh books
Martin has written quite a lot of bestselling books on Van Gogh’s years in France: The Sunflowers Are Mine: The Story of Van Gogh’s Masterpiece (Frances Lincoln 2013, UK and US), Studio of the South: Van Gogh in Provence (Frances Lincoln 2016, UK and US), Starry Evening: Van Gogh on the Asylum (White Lion Publishing 2018, UK and US) and Van Gogh’s Finale: Auvers and the Artist’s Rise to Fame (Frances Lincoln 2021, UK and US). The Sunflowers are Mine (2024, UK and US) and Van Gogh’s Finale (2024, UK and US) are additionally now out there in a extra compact paperback format.
His different current books embrace Residing with Vincent van Gogh: The Properties & Landscapes that formed the Artist (White Lion Publishing 2019, UK and US), which offers an outline of the artist’s life. The Illustrated Provence Letters of Van Gogh has been reissued (Batsford 2021, UK and US). My Buddy Van Gogh/Emile Bernard offers the primary English translation of Bernard’s writings on Van Gogh (David Zwirner Books 2023, UKand US).
To contact Martin Bailey, please e-mail vangogh@theartnewspaper.com
Please be aware that he doesn’t undertake authentications.
Discover all of Martin’s adventures with Van Gogh right here
