Vincent van Gogh - BE@RBRICK
Vincent Van Gogh struggled through his lifetime to achieve relevance. However, after his death, he quickly rose to prominence as one of the most important artists of all time. His work is some of the most expensive in the world and can be found in countless galleries and museums. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam partnered with Medicom Toy to display some of his artwork on collectible figures. One of Van Gogh's famous self-portraits can be seen in the "BE@RBRICK Van Gogh Museum Self Portrait 100% & 400% Set."
Vincent Van Gogh and BE@RBRICK Collaboration Background
Medicom Toy and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam began their collaboration in 2019. As of March 2021, the collaboration has produced three BE@BRICK figures
Collaboration Planning and Launch
The first Van Gogh Museum BE@RBRICK was announced in August 2019. It featured Van Gogh's famous "Sunflowers" painting as the main design motif. The figure went on display as part of the Medicom Toy Plus exhibition at Omotesando Hills that December. In December 2020, the second Van Gogh BE@RBRICK, "Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat," went on sale. A third figure depicting "Courtesan (after Eisen)" went on sale at Medicom Toy's 2G Osaka store in February 2021.
BE@RBRICK Van Gogh Museum Self Portrait 100% & 400% Set
This articulated collectible figure set from Medicom Toy showcases one of the art world's most celebrated painters. Vincent Van Gogh's "Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat" repeats in an irregular grid across both bear-shaped figures. Van Gogh's short, irregular brushstrokes create a textured background that almost seamlessly blends together. The artist's face punctuates the warm blue backdrop. As one of Van Gogh's most experimental uses of color, the paired complementary colors give the palette measured depth and richness. On the back, the figures feature Van Gogh's signature "Vincent," with a white drop shadow effect.
- Product Name: BE@RBRICK Van Gogh Museum Self Portrait 100% & 400% Set
- Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
- Specifications: Set of 2 painted, articulated, non-scale figures with water transfer printing
- Height (Approx.):
100%: 70 mm | 2.8"
400%: 280 mm | 11"
About Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter and one of the most famous and influential figures in western art. Van Gogh famously suffered from depression throughout his life, often spending time in missionaries and isolation. His mental instability plagued him personally and professionally. He was widely considered a madman and a failure during his life. He committed suicide at age 37 after years of depression and poverty. After his death, Van Gogh entered the public imagination as a misunderstood genius. His work is currently sold as some of the most expensive pieces in the world. He is remembered as an important and tragic figure in art and typifies the concept of the "tortured artist."
About Van Gogh's Self Portraits
Van Gogh painted 47 self-portraits during the last four years of his life. The portrait featured in the figure is his 1887-1888 piece "Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat." In the painting, Van Gogh implements a variation on the style he studied used by pointillists. Short strokes of varying colors come together to create the basic form of the portrait. The technique gives the painting rich texture and a sense of circular rhythm centering around his face. The painting also introduces one of Van Gogh's boldest experiments with color. Complementary colors sit next to each other, such as the orange and blue in his skin and red and green in his beard.
Other Important Artwork by Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh's decade-long pursuit of art manifested a robust body of work that detailed his progression as an artist and his mental collapse.
The Starry Night
The Starry Night is an oil painting completed by Van Gogh in June 1889. It is widely considered his magnum opus and the singular representative painting of Van Gogh's work. Van Gogh painted the city skyline as seen from his room at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum. His stay at the asylum served as one of the most prolific periods of his career. Van Gogh painted this east-looking view from his window at least 21 times throughout his stay. The version seen in The Starry Night depicts the view just before sunrise. The Starry Night is one of the most recognized paintings in Western Art. Currently, the painting is on permanent display in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity's Gate)
Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity's Gate) is one of the last oil paintings completed by Van Gogh. He painted the piece during his most severe depressive relapse in the spring of 1890. He based the painting on a lithograph he completed in 1882. The lithograph, titled "Worn Out," came from his pencil studies of a pensioner and war veteran. His inspiration for the studies came from a popular print by Hubert von Herkomer of a veteran slumped over dead in a chair. The painting stands out in Van Gogh's work as an indicator of his mental decline, absent from most of his work.
The Potato Eaters
Van Gogh completed the oil painting The Potato Eaters in 1885. Critics today consider the painting Van Gogh's first great work of art. From his early career as a painter, Van Gogh had yet to master the styles and techniques that would define his later works. This explains the unique form, proportion, and facial features seen in the painting. However, the use of dramatic lighting both challenged Van Gogh as an artist and brought out the liveliness in the painting. Van Gogh considered the painting a failure as did the art community during his lifetime. Today, the painting is lauded in retrospect as the masterpiece Van Gogh intended.
Links
BE@RBRICK Van Gogh Museum Self Portrait 100% & 400% Set
BE@RBRICK Van Gogh Museum Self Portrait 1000%
BE@RBRICK Series
BE@BRICK Label
Vincent Van Gogh Label