Van Gogh Museum partners with Pokémon for its 50th anniversary (and it couldn’t get cuter!)

The Van Gogh Museum is turning 50 years old this year, and what better way to celebrate than with a Pokémon partnership? 

You can catch the exhibition from September 28, 2023, until January 7, 2024, including the art itself and some fun activities for the whole family.

The goal of this collection is to introduce new audiences and budding artists to the works of Van Gogh in a fun, new context.

Van Gogh would have loved it

Van Gogh himself was a big fan of Japanese art. Writing to his brother in a letter in 1888 that studying Japanese art makes life “happier and more cheerful, and it makes us return to nature”, writes the Van Gogh Museum in a press release.

He was very inspired by the culture and artwork. It introduced him to flat planes and strong colours in his pieces, presenting the world in a new way to him.

READ MORE | Pokémon Gogh? Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum welcomes an unexpected collaboration (and we’re VERY curious)

The collection will introduce visitors to the artist’s life in a refreshing and irresistibly adorable way. Let’s be real: few things are cuter than Snorlax sawing logs in 1888’s The Bedroom or Pikachu himself in his own rendition of Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat.

side-by-side-of-pokemon-and-van-gogh-in-self-portrait-with-grey-felt-hat-van-gogh-museum-pokemon-company-collaboration-50th-anniversary
Who wore it best? Image: Van Gogh Museum

Nothing but the best

These Pokémon renditions were painted by artists at The Pokémon Company — some dating back to the ancient times of the 1980s and even 1960s.

And it doesn’t stop at just the artwork. There are activities for the whole family, such as the Pokémon Adventure leaflet, which guides you through the paintings, telling you the stories behind them.

You can even learn about Van Gogh’s connection with Japan and how one inspired the other through their online platform, Van Gogh at School. 

Not only that, but at the museum restaurant, you can learn to draw Pikachu from an expert. What more could you want?

Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be buying tickets for us and all our friends to see the exhibition.

Are you planning on catching the collaboration? Tell us in the comments!

Feature Image:Van Gogh Museum
Julia de Oliveira Moritz
Julia de Oliveira Moritz
Júlia was born in Brazil, but she’s been away for more than half her life. At five years old, she moved to Nigeria, and at 14, she came to the Netherlands. She came for her education and stayed for… something. She’s not sure if that something is the vibrant springtime or the live music bars. All she knows is that this is her new home, at least for now.

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