The masterpieces of two sensitive souls - Matthew Wong | Vincent van Gogh exhibition

ART

The masterpieces of two sensitive souls -

The Matthew Wong | Vincent van Gogh exhibition

June 2024

June 2024: The Van Gogh Museum's latest exhibition features the Chinese-Canadian artist Matthew Wong (1984 - 2019). His colourful works, especially the landscapes, are reminiscent of Post Impressionism and above all of Van Gogh himself. Wong is known to have been mainly inspired by the work of Van Gogh.

It is a remarkable exhibition in the Van Gogh Museum, which we were able to visit when we were on our way to the World Press Photo Award in the De Niewue centre. Wong's works are in marvellous harmony with Van Gogh's. Both artists died prematurely, both sadly by suicide, Van Gogh at the age of 37 and Wong at 35, and their worldwide fame only came after their deaths. Both suffered from mental problems that led to depression. Both are said to have found redemption in creativity, which resulted in very personal and highly emotional images.

It is particularly tragic for the families when their loved ones' art only becomes known after their death. A life full of sacrifice for art, a lack of recognition and often impoverishment. Unlike Van Gogh, however, one of Wong's works was bought by a museum just five years after he started painting and well-known collectors began to buy his paintings.

The exhibition is likely to be a tribute to this extraordinary young man with a difficult life story. Matthew Wong was born in Toronto in 1984. After his family briefly emigrated to Hong Kong, they returned due to their son's fragile health. Wong suffered from Tourette's syndrome, fell into the autism spectrum and suffered from depression since childhood. Despite all this, he received a Bachelor of Art in cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan in 2007. In 2013, he received a Masters of Fine Art in photography from the School of Creative Media at the City University of Hong Kong. However, he turned away from photography and began painting alongside office jobs in 2014. According to the interview that Wong's mother gave to the New York Times, he is said to have researched in bookshops and even exchanged techniques with artists via Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram.

‘One of the most impressive solo New York debuts I've seen in a while.’

In 2015, the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre held its first solo exhibition of Wong's paintings. He soon came to the attention of New York's Karma Gallery, which held his first New York solo exhibition in 2018, which was very well received in the sophisticated art scene. Art critic Jerry Saltz wrote: ‘One of the most impressive solo New York debuts I've seen in a while.’ Wong also seems to have been enterprising - he did not sell his paintings for a few hundred dollars, but asked for thousands, which appealed to a more discerning collector. Since his death, prices seem to have exploded: All his paintings fetch prices in the 6 figures to millions, the painting Green Room even realised over 5 million dollars at a Christies auction.

The New York Times ran the headline: ‘One of the most talented painters of his generation’.

The Van Gogh Museum is showing some of Wong's most beautiful works, including Wong's Path to the Sea in a Room of Silence. Here, visitors can immerse themselves in Wong's complex spiritual world. The exhibition is accompanied by an audio tour: The well-known podcaster and theatre maker Simon Heijmans has written the audio story ‘’Letter to Matthew' for the exhibition. Matthew Wong also loved music. The Van Gogh Museum has compiled a list of his favourite artists, including Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix and Drake.

In German we say. „Ein Stern ist erloschen.“

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The Matthew Wong | Vincent van Gogh exhibition continues until 1 September 2024.