2024 was a remarkably successful year, full of innovative activities, important acquisitions and inspiring exhibitions. It was also a strong year financially.
Download the Annual Report 2024 PDF, 9.8 MB
In short
Visitors
In 2024, more than 1.8 million people visited the museum. It is also becoming increasingly visible and more appealing to visitors from the Netherlands, of which there were almost 330,000 in 2024.
An unprecedented 16,475 visitors came to The Mesdag Collection in The Hague, the largest number since 1996.
Exhibitions
Van Gogh Museum
Van Gogh along the Seine, a pioneering exhibition that focused on Asnières as a destination for painters, was still on display in the initial weeks of 2024. Matthew Wong|Vincent van Gogh: Painting as a Last Resort opened on 1 March. This major retrospective, the first in Europe, showcased the colourful, expressive work of the Chinese-Canadian artist. The Wong exhibition achieved a rating of 85% (‘very good’ or ‘excellent’), making it one of the top three exhibitions according to Dutch visitors since surveys began ten years ago.
In the autumn, Vive l’impressionnisme! Masterpieces from Dutch Collections commemorated the 150th anniversary of French Impressionism. The exhibition, which brought together work from 15 private and public collections, was a collaboration with the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.
The Mesdag Collection
Trees That Tell: A Tribute to Endangered Nature was on display from March to July, featuring work by the Dutch artist Christiaan Kuitwaard and poet Jan Kleefstra. Rosa Bonheur. Spirit of Animals, the first exhibition in the Netherlands dedicated to this French artist (1822–1899), followed in September. Bonheur was famous in her time for her sensitive, monumental paintings of animals.
Acquisitions
Several significant works were added to the collection in 2024, the most important of which was Olive Grove in Collioure, an early work by Henri Matisse. The Van Gogh Museum also acquired the painting Clovis Sleeping by Paul Gauguin, a key work in his oeuvre. Many important works on paper were also added to the collection this year, particularly the impressive four-panel folding screen by Pierre Bonnard.
Financial Position
The financial position of the Van Gogh Museum is healthy: it concluded the 2024 financial year with a positive result of € 2.9 million. Attendance was slightly higher than expected, and the average visitor spend in the shops increased compared to previous years. There was also an increase of € 2.3 million in support from funds and foundations for art acquisitions.