Van Gogh at the Kröller-Müller Museum

On display at the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands, the exhibition *Van Gogh: All Our Paintings* showcases the artist’s complete collection as assembled by Hélène Kröller-Müller, the museum’s founder. This is the first time this has been done since 1984.

With nature as his main source of inspiration, Van Gogh found his home. Situated in the heart of De Hoge Veluwe National Park, in the centre of the Netherlands, the Kröller-Müller Museum houses one of the largest private collections of the artist’s work. Until 3 January 2027, the museum is hosting an exhibition entitled Van Gogh: All Our Paintings, which showcases the artist’s work through three overarching themes.

The artist

“His mission in life was to comfort people,” explains Renske Cohen Tervaert, curator of the exhibition *Van Gogh: All Our Paintings* at the Kröller-Müller Museum. As he stated in his very first sermon in 1876, Van Gogh drew on three values throughout his life and career: faith, love and hope.

Visitors wander through the bright, minimalist exhibition rooms to view the 88 paintings collected by Hélène Kröller-Müller, the museum’s founder. Showcasing works spanning the entirety of his career, the three themes Van Gogh chose remain consistent over time, explains Renske Cohen Tervaert. However, she concludes that a notable difference can be seen in the development of his technique, style and colour palette.

Regarded as one of the founders of the Post-Impressionist movement and a forerunner of Fauvism and Expressionism, Van Gogh was a prolific artist. He produced around 800 paintings during his lifetime without ever compromising his principles.

A pioneering collector

“Hélène Kröller-Müller was brought up in a religious household, but she lost her faith. And she found her purpose, not in religion, but in the arts,” explains Benno Tempel, Director-General of the Kröller-Müller Museum. The daughter of an industrialist who went on to become an art collector, Hélène began building her collection in 1907. Drawn to the talent of a then-little-known artist, the young woman bought one of his works for the first time in 1908. It was the painting entitled The Edge of the Wood, by Vincent van Gogh.

Continuing her exploration of art, Hélène collected all kinds of artworks: drawings, sculptures and paintings. In 1935, she decided to bequeath her entire collection to the Dutch state, which went on to establish the Kröller-Müller Museum three years later.

Today, the museum houses nearly 20,000 works. It is therefore regarded as a major centre for modern art, with Van Gogh’s works forming the centrepiece of the collection. “We talk a lot about contemporary artists who come to see Van Gogh’s work, but many people also visit the museum almost as a pilgrimage to see Van Gogh’s work,” comments Benno Tempel.

The exhibition ‘Van Gogh: All Our Paintings’ is on display at the Kröller-Müller Museum until 3 January 2027. To see it in pictures, visit our Museum TV channel.