Van Gogh Museum puts Pokémons in paintings – 10/10/2023 – Tourism

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, announced a partnership with the Pokémon Company on September 28th to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

For the collaboration, which runs until January 7, 2024, activations were prepared that involve missions within the museum, classes on how to draw Pokémon, special cards and an exhibition of paintings of the characters in the Dutch painter’s aesthetic.

Pikachu, for example, gained a version inspired by the painting “Self-Portrait with Felt Hat”, from 1887, made by the artist Naoyo Kimura, who has drawn more than 200 letters of the animals.

Another reinterpretation pays homage to the 1888 painting “The Sunflowers”, starring Sunflora, a plant-style Pokémon that looks like a flower.

“This collaboration will allow the next generation to experience Vincent Van Gogh’s art and life story in an innovative way,” said Emilie Gordenker, general director of the Van Gogh Museum.

Gordenker says the Van Gogh Museum and The Pokémon Company International drew on years of educational experience to create a special exhibit for children.

Visitors to the exhibition will learn about the connection between Van Gogh and Japan. Japanese prints, which use strong color planes, everyday themes and attention to the details of nature, inspired the artist.

But the great success of the partnership were the six special cards and souvenirs sold in the museum store. When purchasing a ticket, visitors can take home one of the cards.

The items for sale, which included t-shirts, notebooks, bags and prints of the characters, ended one day after the opening of the exhibition. Videos circulated on social media show visitors fighting and running over the products.

In a statement, the Pokémon Company apologized to visitors for what happened and stated that it will restock the museum’s merchandise soon.

On the internet, cards and prints from the store are already sold for high prices. A Pikachu card was listed for more than US$1,000 (about R$5,000).

In addition to visiting the exhibition, another way to purchase the greeting cards would be through Pokémon stores in the United Kingdom, United States or Canada. But the items are also sold out.

This is not the first time that the Pokémon Company has teamed up with an art institution. In 2018, the company launched five cards in homage to the painting “The Scream”, by Edvard Munch, as part of an exhibition at the Tokyo Museum of Art, in Japan.

Tickets for the museum, which must be purchased on the website, cost €20 (R$100). Children have free entry.