On January 31, 1890, during the time Vincent Van Gogh was committed to a psychiatric hospital in St-Rémy, in the south of France, his younger brother Theo and Theo’s wife Johanna welcomed a son into the world and named him Vincent Willem after his uncle. To celebrate the birth, Van Gogh painted a picture of a blossoming almond tree native to the southern region of France and presented it to the young family, asking that it be hung in the baby’s nursery.
Almond Blossom, which went on to become one of the Dutch master's best-known works, features among nine 3-D reproductions of his masterpieces, including Sunflowers and The Bedroom, that have made their Middle East debut in Dubai. Titled The Passion Recaptured: The Relievo Collection, it marks the 125th anniversary of the artist's death and is a collaboration between The Van Gogh Museum and Fujifilm Europe.
But Almond Blossoms holds a special place for Van Gogh's great-grandnephew, Vincent Willem Van Gogh, who serves as an adviser to The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. "It always makes me feel very happy to see that painting because it is the connection between my family and the history of Vincent and his legacy," explains Van Gogh, 61. "This particular painting holds many sweet memories."
Reproduced using sophisticated 3-D printers, each ink print is the same like the original in terms of look and texture. Available in limited editions of 260 prints per painting, and with a whopping Dh125,000 price tag, the collection is an initiative that began in 2005, when a painter and engineer named Piet Kelderman approached the museum with the proposal.
Developed in close collaboration with Fujifilm, which now holds the patent for the new technology known as reliefography – it involves scanning the original work of art with a multidimensional scanner and combines two-dimensional data with three-dimensional data. Each reproduction is certified for a century.
The 3-D works are popular with art enthusiasts, says Van Gogh, who thinks that they would have made his great grand-uncle proud. “Vincent wanted to make art for everyone – he was a very democratic artist and you can tell that from the subject matter of his work. He didn’t paint for money. He painted everyday subjects such as his shoes, his chair, his bedroom and the trees.
“I think he would be extremely proud to see so many people all over the world enjoying his art. Dubai has developed into one of the most vibrant and commercially interesting places in the world. It is a new challenge to exhibit here and we have high expectations.”
The collection has already been to the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Beijing and Los Angeles.
• The Passion Recaptured: The Relievo Collection by The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, runs at Fairmont, The Palm in Dubai until March 31