Van Gogh’s Vision Revealed: ‘Great Gogh Exhibition’ to Feature Iconic Works in 2025

The ‘Great Gogh Exhibition’ featuring masterpieces by Vincent van Gogh will tour Kobe, Fukushima, and Tokyo starting in September 2025.

The exhibition will showcase renowned works from the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands, known for its extensive Van Gogh collection, in two phases. The Kobe leg of the tour coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, while the Fukushima stop marks the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Highlighting the first phase is ‘Cafe Terrace at Night,’ which will be shown in Japan for the first time in about 20 years since 2005. This iconic painting depicts a café terrace in the southern French city of Arles, characterized by its vivid contrast between the evening darkness and café lights, flat coloring, and dynamic brushstrokes. It is also notable as one of Van Gogh’s earliest depictions of the starry night sky. Additionally, around 60 works from Van Gogh’s Dutch and Arles periods, including self-portraits and masterpieces from his early Dutch years, will be on display. The exhibition will also feature masterpieces from contemporaneous Impressionist giants such as Claude Monet and Auguste Renoir from the museum’s collection.

The second phase of the exhibition, running from 2027 to 2028, will focus on Van Gogh’s Arles period through his later years. The highlight will be ‘The Langlois Bridge at Arles,’ a Dutch national treasure known for its striking blues of the sky and water, which will be shown in Japan for the first time in approximately 70 years.