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What art inspired painter Vincent Van Gogh? Santa Barbara exhibition examines his influences

"The Outskirts Of Paris" by Vincent Van Gogh
KCLU
"The Outskirts Of Paris" by Vincent Van Gogh

A new exhibition features nearly 100 works, including 20 Van Goghs and works by other legends like Monet, Degas, and Pissarro.

Irene Stone is overwhelmed. She’s standing in a gallery at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, surrounded by works by legendary painter Vincent Van Gogh.

"It is absolutely exciting, and incredible." said Stone.

It’s one of the most highly anticipated exhibitions in the museum’s history.

Through Vincent’s Eyes: Van Gogh and His Sources features 20 of his works, as well as 75 others from artists who were considered to be major influences on the Dutch painter.

Eik Kahng is the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s Deputy Director, and Chief Curator.

"There are so many exhibitions which have just shown Vincent," said Kahng. "You can never get too much of Vincent Van Gogh. But, I thought it would be really helpful for people to see how much he took from the art of his world, of his moment, the art of the late 19th century."

The exhibition walks you through the artist’s development. It features works by other legendary artists who influenced Van Gogh’s development, like Monet, Pissarro, Delacroix, and Gauguin.

The Santa Barbara museum’s exhibition is the biggest project since it underwent a $50 million renovation. It was five years in planning, with the pandemic delaying it. The works come from public and private collections around the world.

Curator Eik Kahng take media and visitors on a tour of the new Van Gogh exhibition.
KCLU
Curator Eik Kahng take media and visitors on a tour of the new Van Gogh exhibition.

The exhibition also featured 17 first edition novels by Van Gogh’s favorite authors, which include Charles Dickens and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

The museum’s Chief Curator talks about what she hopes visitors take away from the exhibition.

"I hope that they feel moved by the aura of the original," said Kahng. "Also, Vincent's suicide does not define, or explain his art, and to think of him as some kind of madman is actually not helpful."

Gretchen Simpson is one of the first to get a look at the exhibition.

"It's especially interesting because we get to see Van Gogh not just as the common image of him as how he was painting at the end of his life, but all of it...the influences."

Monet's "Villas in Bordighera" is part of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art's "Through Vincent's Eyes" exhibition.
KCLU
Monet's "Villas in Bordighera" is part of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art's "Through Vincent's Eyes" exhibition.

Through Vincent’s Eyes: Van Gogh and His Sources runs through May 22nd at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. There are also a number of other related events, including a two-day symposium in March, as well as gallery talks and lectures.

With demand expected to be high, timed tickets are being offered online.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.