Tapas At The Van Gogh

The Van Gogh Museum is open late on Friday night. It houses the largest collection of Van Gogh’s work in the world and is arranged in galleries that progress through the artist’s life according to where he lived and how his work developed, I didn’t know much about Van Gogh aside from the ear incident and that he was supported by his brother. This progression through his life was facinating.

 

What we didn’t expect was that the museum was such a happening place to be on Friday night. The main lobby acts as a casual meeting area that is decked out with deep blue furniture that sits on a carpet of the same deep blue. There is a bar where you can buy wine, mixed drinks and a fruit smash that was very good. A DJ spun 45s of jazzy pop from the 60s to add a very ironic, retro hip feel to the place.

 

People lounged and ate and drank, while others explored the galleries to the fun music. The second floor houses the main collection and while we wandered through we noticed the reason for the lovely blue carpet in the main lounging area. Using the same blue screen technology that is commonly used on newscasts, the lounge area was filmed and projected onto the blank walls of the upper part of the museum, the blue replaced with a rotating display of Van Gogh’s paintings so that the people sitting in the chairs appeared to be sitting, drinking and walking through the paintings themselves. It was a very cool effect.

 

After strolling the galleries, K** and I sat and had tapas of various cheeses, nuts, and bread along with a glass of wine and a fruit smash. It was definitely the way to go to this Museum.