This pioneering exhibition explores for the very first time how the area along the Seine in the Paris suburbs was crucial to the artistic development of Vincent van Gogh, Paul Signac, Georges Seurat, Emile Bernard and Charles Angrand.
In the 19th century, bridges and trains made it easier to visit places outside of Paris. And yet smoking factory chimneys increasingly dominated the horizon. This exhibition reveals how artists captured these changes in their artworks.
Vincent van Gogh, Bridges Across the Seine at Asnières, 1887, Emil Bührle Collection, on long-term loan at the Kunsthaus Zürich
Five ambitious artists – Vincent van Gogh, Paul Signac, Georges Seurat, Emile Bernard and Charles Angrand – travelled to the banks of the Seine to paint. Surrounded by green, they captured the changes ushered in by the burgeoning industry. Here they found new, contemporary motifs and developed their use of colour and painting techniques.
Asnières had a particular impact on the artistic development of these artists.
Asnières is located close to Paris, on the Seine. Until about 1850, it was renowned as an idyllic green suburb where city-dwellers headed to relax. In the second half of the 19th century, the area around Asnières became increasingly marked by the booming industry. Attracted by the changing landscape and the easy access from Paris, artists travelled to Asnières to paint.
The exhibition explores the role played by Asnières and the Seine in the artistic development of Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Emile Bernard and Charles Angrand.
Award-winning designer Christian Borstlap made a short film introducing the exhibition Van Gogh along the Seine.
Delve deeper into the exhibition, and discover the stories hidden behind the artworks. Book a private guided tour of the exhibition, or join a guided tour on the day.
What is it like to paint using dots or short dashes? Join the Workshop: Impressionist and Pointillist Painting and make a painting just like the artists of the exhibition. The English-spoken workshops are on Sunday.
Listen to fascinating stories about the artworks on display and get more out of your visit. The audio tour is available in 11 languages. Simply book the audio guide at the same time as your online ticket.
The gallery texts for this exhibition are now also available in an accessible PDF. Prefer not to read from a screen? A booklet with the collated gallery texts, printed in large font, is available at the Information Desk in the Atrium.
The richly illustrated catalogue offers insight into how the area around Asnières inspired the five painters. Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: Along the Seine features essays by researchers and curators, and is edited by Bregje Gerritse from the Van Gogh Museum and Jacquelyn N. Coutré from the Art Institute of Chicago. The book is available in English and Dutch, € 29.95.
Paul Signac, Quai de Clichy, Gray Weather, 188, Private collection
Charles Angrand, The Seine at Courbevoie: La Grande Jatte, 1888, Private collection
Georges Seurat, Oil Sketch for La Grande Jatte, 1884,The Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Mary and Leigh Block
Emile Bernard, Two Women on the Asnières Footbridge, 1887, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Brest
Vincent van Gogh, Fishing in Spring, the Pont de Clichy (Asnières), 1887, The Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Charles Deering McCormick, Brooks McCormick and the Estate of Roger McCormick
The exhibition is a collaboration with The Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Modern Landscape is on view until 4 September 2023.