Dutch Museum Displays All 88 Van Gogh Paintings Together for First Time in Over 20 Years

The Kröller-Müller Museum has opened an exhibition featuring all 88 of its Van Gogh paintings, an event not seen in over twenty years. The show, titled Van Gogh, All Our Paintings, is on view until January 3, 2027, offering visitors a rare opportunity to experience the museum’s complete collection of the artist’s works.

Instead of arranging the paintings chronologically, the exhibition groups them by motif, creating visual dialogues between works from Van Gogh’s ten-year career (1881–1890). For example, visitors are welcomed by two sunset scenes with rows of trees: Lane of Poplars at Sunset (1884) and Pine Trees at Sunset (1889).

The exhibition is divided into three sections, inspired by the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and charity, with charity reinterpreted as “love.” This thematic structure was influenced by Van Gogh’s only known sermon, delivered 150 years ago, and shaped the curator’s approach.

Among the 88 paintings are several notable works, including a large study for The Potato Eaters (1885), Four Sunflowers Gone to Seed (1887), Pink Peach Trees (1888), Terrace of a Café at Night (1888), and Country Road in Provence by Night (1890). A rarely seen landscape, Falling Leaves (Les Alyscamps) (1888), is also on display after more than two decades in storage due to its fragility. This painting was created shortly after Paul Gauguin arrived to work alongside Van Gogh, and it symbolically depicts autumn leaves as scattered light marks.

Another significant work is Still Life with a Plate of Onions (1889), painted just three weeks after Van Gogh’s self-inflicted ear injury. The centerpiece of the exhibition is Bridge at Arles (Pont de Langlois) (1888), highlighting a key moment in the artist’s career.

After the exhibition closes, Falling Leaves will be sent for conservation treatment. The museum is scheduled to partially close from September 2027 until around 2030 for a €125 million renovation. Following the reopening, the museum’s director plans to organize special Van Gogh exhibitions with works on loan from other collections, continuing to highlight the artist’s legacy.