15/11/2024
Announcement:
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Last month, we were saddened to receive the news that our core funder was forced to withdraw their funding. We are going to need your help to secure our spaces.
Artists in Residence 2024
With our autumn exhibition just around the corner, we would like to thank all our supporters and artists in residence this year.
- Takehito Koganezawa and Yoichi Kamimura
From March to April, our artists in residence from Japan embarked on a creative project around the River Thames, depicting the unseen aspects and memories of the London river. Generously sponsored by Japan House London
- Inés Cámara Leret
For the month of May, Ines explores evolutionary traps and their role in constructing and upholding contemporary myths, developing and creating a new series of sculptural works that delve into the plasticity of these traps. Her works will be exhibited at our Cycles exhibition next month. Ines’ participation is supported by the Embassy of Spain UK, Accion Cultural Espanola and the Wang Family.
- Jasmin Bhanji
As our Exchanging Spaces resident, a pilot project running in conjunction with Oval Learning Cluster, Jasmin Bhanji worked with primary school classes from Year 5 and 6 local to Van Gogh House over the month of June. Together they developed a range of rubbings, plaster casts, and cyanotype printings. Thank you AKO Foundation for supporting this project.
- Yingmei Duan
In partnership with Newcastle University, Yingmei Duan is our virtual artist in residence from June to September. Throughout her residency, Yingmei Duan will spend time researching Van Gogh and creating some virtual, interactive art performances related to painting, installation, video, writing, sound, and photography. You can read more about her research here.
- Olivia Plender
Previously exhibited in our 2023 autumn exhibition, The Living House, Olivia is an artist based in Stockholm and London. Her work is often based on social history, and frequently explores the relationships between gender, power and authority.
- Vibeke Mascini
Staying with us ahead of her participation in Cycles, Vibeke Mascini explores the sensorial scaling of abstract phenomena and the complex relationship between source and user, focusing on material implications. Mascini proposes installations where memories and mysterious sensorial experiences meet the newest technology of the rapidly growing field of energy storage systems.
13/08/2024
Announcing our Autumn Exhibition : CYCLES
Cycles is a group exhibition running at Van Gogh House from 12 September until 15 December. Cycles explores the natural and mechanical rhythms and processes inherent to domestic buildings, and specifically Van Gogh House. Artists Clara Hastrup, Vibeke Mascini, Inés Cámara Leret were invited to spend time in the house and develop new works in response to the titular theme, the house and its existing spaces and objects – from electrical currents, cleaning routines, heating systems and the chain reactions that are generated.
10/05/2024
Volunteer Voices!
Those of you who have been to visit the house on one of our tour weekends will have met some of our wonderful volunteer tour guides. Our guides are enthusiastic about both Van Gogh and the house, and are great at passing on that knowledge to inspire others about London's rich history and culture. We thought it was about time to introduce you properly to some of our guides, who are such an integral part of the Van Gogh House team! So look out for our Volunteer Voices, a chance to hear from those who know all the hidden gems of the house. First up is Diana Bromwich: "I am Diana Bromwich and I started volunteering at Van Gogh House in July 2021. I had been living in Brixton since 2009 and had been made aware that Van Gogh had lived in Brixton as our local department store, Morleys displays a few historical facts about the area on the stairs going up and down to different floors. Van Gogh’s residency was one of those facts. Probably like most people I have always been an admirer of his work and had the opportunity to visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam 3 years after it opened in 1973. I love working in Van Gogh House. I have taken the script I was given and made it very much my own. As I say on the tour that I facilitate, ‘I am not an expert but an enthusiast’. I greatly admire the fact that the owner of Van Gogh House and his family aim to support young and emerging artists in their own lifetime, support that Van Gogh did not have. There are so many facts that I enjoy sharing with visitors. The story of Paul Chalcroft who admired and copied Van Gogh’s work; in the same way Van Gogh admired and copied Gustav Dore. The ‘finds’ that were uncovered as the house was restored after 2012 are fascinating and a great opportunity to tell the story of the house. I have also taken the opportunity to add to my knowledge in my own time. A recent holiday to Arles and Saint Remy-de-Provence. I was able to immerse myself into that aspect of Van Gogh’s life and see the subject material for some of his paintings. Being a volunteer in the House has fanned the flames of my love of History and I have enjoyed taking time to look more closely at the period 1824, when the house was built to 1874 when Van Gogh left. For the past 2 years I have also delivered a Black History Month tour in October of each year. Perhaps not specific to the house but to that 50 year period in South London." A big thank you as always to our volunteers - we couldn't do it without you!
28/03/2024
Upcoming events in April!
April is a busy month for Van Gogh House! Whilst the house is still being looked after by artist residents Yoichi Kamimura and Takehito Koganezawa, we have a number of off site events for you to get involved in.
Yoichi will be playing some of his field-recording infused ambient music at Brixton’s community radio station, Brixton Radio at 10pm! Tune into Brixton Radio’s live stream on Mixcloud or pop into Brixton Radio for a drink and listening session.
Takehito will be hosting a drawing workshop at our sister space San Mei Gallery. This workshop will challenge participants to work together on a sequence of collective drawings, bringing together ideas around authorship and collaboration. The workshop is free but please do book a space!
Takehito and Yoichi will be performing at Japan House. Drift Ice on the River Thames is an immersive performance blending ambient soundscapes and live drawing by the artistsi. The performance is a culmination of the artists’ parallel research conducted during their residency at Van Gogh House in London supported by Japan House London Trust.
The event is free but please book!
In other news, our next tour weekend will fall on 27/28th April. Book your tickets here. In this month’s family friendly art session we will be decorating tote bags featuring a stamp from Van Gogh House! Book here.
It’s Van Gogh’s birthday on March 30th; use our template and send him a card!
07/02/2024
Japan Residency 2024 Announcement!
Van Gogh House is pleased to announce that our next residency will host two artists from Japan! We’re excited to welcome Takehito Koganezawa and Yoichi Kamimura. Takehito Koganezawa is a drawing artist, video artist, and performer. He delicately captures the physical movements of drawing and transforms them into moving images. Kamimura uses his field recordings to experiment with methods that draw upon sight, hearing, and other senses to perceive different scenes. Both artists have collaborated on several projects, combining their shared interest in sensory experiences, and translating these experiments into visual artworks. For their residency, they hope to embark on a creative project that places the River Thames at its centre, aiming to depict the unseen aspects and memories of the River Thames! Thank you to Japan House London for supporting this project.
Our guided tours offer visitors an opportunity to learn about our most famous tenant, as well as the architecture, history, and future of the house. We provide a unique insight into Van Gogh’s everyday existence in Victorian London, as well as a glimpse into the way ordinary people lived.
A Clear Comfort, Ian Giles, Performance, 2023 commissioned by Van Gogh House, Photography by Liz Gorman.
“Oh, how I’d like to have you here, old chap, to see my new lodgings, which you’ll have heard about. I now have a room, as I’ve long been wishing, without sloping beams and without blue wallpaper with a green border. It’s a very diverting household where I am now, in which they run a school for little boys.” Vincent van Gogh to Theo Van Gogh, London, 13th September 1873 Today (Wednesday 13th September 2023) marks 150 years since Van Gogh came to live in 87 Hackford Road, 50 years since this was acknowledged by a blue plaque, and 200 years since the house was built! When Van Gogh House opened in 2019, our intention was always that people would have the opportunity to live here; to take a bath, prepare a meal, sleep in the beds and interact with the ghosts. Our new exhibition, The Living House, asks artists to collaborate with the house and show works that reveal its inner workings. In turn, we invite visitors to interact with the architecture, history and rituals of the building - in a way to briefly experience living with us. To kick off celebrations we are welcoming Hanno Würzner, Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Kingdom, for a private anniversary event that will include talks from previous artists in residence at the house, before opening to the general public tomorrow! We're delighted to show you the culmination of so much hard work and develop a project that allows the house to speak for itself. We can't wait for you all to see it from Thursday!! Livia and the Van Gogh House team
Congratulations to Ian Giles for taking his Van Gogh House commission, 'A Clear Comfort', to Charleston! In April, Ian undertook a research residency at Van Gogh House with further funding to develop a major new work and supporting outreach programme, culminating in the performance of A Clear Comfort here at the house. A Clear Comfort engages with a legacy of queer homemaking through the homes of pioneering LGBTQI+ artists such as filmmaker Derek Jarman and photographer Alice Austen. It's been a pleasure working with the team at Charleston to take this new commission to new audiences! Best of luck to Ian; we can't wait to see how the performance translates to a new space. Performance: 23rd September. Photography by Liz Gorman.
13/07/2023
A Clear Comfort is done!
After a season of gardening, discussing, researching and performing - our commission with Ian Giles, A Clear Comfort, is done! We are so proud to have supported Ian Giles on this wonderful project on the legacy of queer homemaking. Photograph by Liz Gorman.
24/06/2023
Thermography workshop with artist duo MES
A big thank you to artist duo MES (Takeru and Kanae) for the great workshop last Friday at Van Gogh House. Inviting participants to explore with thermography, we played a version of ‘hide and seek’ around the house with thermal cameras, heat pads, lasers, and ice to visualise the ways temperature interacts with its surroundings. Such an exciting opportunity to be physical with our curiosities!
08/06/2023
Storytelling workshop with author, Lotte Jeffs at Reay Primary School
It was an absolute pleasure working again with our community partner, Reay Primary School, this time welcoming author Lotte Jeffs to speak about her children’s book, My Magic Family, which celebrates different kinds of families! We were delighted to enable this workshop as part of Ian Giles’ wider commission, ‘A Clear Comfort’, which engages with the legacy of queer homemaking.
03/06/2023
We welcome MES (Kanae and Takeru) to Van Gogh House
We're delighted to welcome MES (Kanae and Takeru) to Van Gogh House this June! Since 2015 MES have been making work that occupies the peripheries of contemporary art and club culture. With a deep interest in development, gentrification and migration, they observe the city. Their time in London will be spent looking at the spaces and movements that have defined relationships between dance, politics and queer culture over the past 150 years since Van Gogh’s stay - from Brixton’s Electric Avenue and the Criminal Justice Act of 1994 to the parallels between the London and Tokyo Olympics. Thank you to the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation for supporting this project.
28/05/2023
Traces left in the house by Nina Glockner and Sachi Miyachi
As part of their residency, artist duo Nina Glockner and Sachi Miyachi left a series of 'traces' as a reflection of Van Gogh's experience in the house. In residence over May, the pair thought a lot about time, how to generate it, how to get it back, graphically mapping their time in the house meticulously at 15 minute intervals, relating it to Vincent's. They traced dreams, mapped the feng shui of Vincent's room and extracted the morsels of advice the young Vincent dished out in letters. These traces were on display during our guided tours on 27 and 28 May, alongside the other histories of the house.
08/05/2023
We welcome Nina Glockner and Sachi Miyachi to Van Gogh House
Artist-couple, Nina Glockner and Sachi Miyachi's collaboration is based on an attentiveness to site-specificity. They share a common interest in the performative character of objects and architecture, choreographing bodies while affording possibilities for interaction and participation. Their time in London will be spent implementing artistic mining and mapping methods in the house: uncovering walls, scanning surfaces by digital hand scanner and analogue frottage techniques, making essence scale models, diving into newspaper archives, tracing dreams and gathering information through public moments. They will be taking on the role of domestic miners, mining traces of the past, interacting with the present, and creating new material for the future (non-) human inhabitants. We look forward to seeing Nina and Sachi's work! Generously supported by The Embassy of the Netherlands in the UK and the Mondriaan Fund.
03/05/2023
Loving Fugitives, Runaway Images
Artist and writer Clémentine Bedos finished their residency last weekend, performing and leaving a series of 'traces' in the house, insights into a multi-layered, embodied writing process. Their project, Loving Fugitive, Runaway Images, centred on a transgenerational dialogue between Clémentine and their grandmother, the ‘outsider’ artist Jeanne Durand. Clémentine will be joining us in Paris to meet with Van Gogh Europe and share the project with the wider Van Gogh community later this month. Many thanks Clémentine for sharing such a special project with us! Generously supported by Fluxus Art Projects.
Week Three of Ian Giles' 'A Clear Comfort' at Van Gogh House! This week saw Ian lead community planting workshops at Van Gogh House and Van Gogh Walk, together with Carole Wright. From Rosemary to Lavender, to Pansies and Parsley, these (queer coded) plants will eventually be served in the communal meal eaten alongside the performance of 'A Clear Comfort' next month (tickets in bio) - catered by our favourite folks down the road at Cafe Van Gogh. The end of April marked the end of Ian's residency in the house, and he has now moved on to writing and auditioning performers ahead of rehearsals later this May!
Week Two of Ian Giles' 'A Clear Comfort' at Van Gogh House! This week saw Ian's been painting Nasturtiums in the garden studio, edible plants that will form part of the communal meal served at the performance of 'A Clear Comfort' in late June. Planning is underway for planting at the house and our beloved Van Gogh Walk, with the new additions chosen to echo those growing in Derek Jarman’s garden in Dungeness. He also hosted an LGBTQI+ family breakfast with parent and curator Gemma Rolls-Bentley. Thanks to all who came!
Week One of Ian Giles' 'A Clear Comfort' at Van Gogh House! This week saw Ian visit Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage and meet with gardener Jonny Bruce (or a personal tour of the house and garden. This conversation will feed into the development of a major new performance work, presented within the house in late June. Talking of which, preparation for the performance and communal meal is well under way. This week the team began planting Nasturtiums, Borage and Calendulas (all edible!) in the garden at Van Gogh House.
Ian's commission, A Clear Comfort, will engage with a legacy of queer homemaking.
A big thank you to all the Van Gogh fans, teachers, artists and local friends who got involved in celebrating Vincent's birthday and sent in a card. We've loved seeing your creations, and they will be in the window at the house until mid April.
Clémentine Bedos is a French transdisciplinary artist and writer, in residence at Van Gogh House in April 2023. Their project ‘Loving Fugitives, Runaway Images’ is based on the relationship Clémentine maintains with their grandmother, the ‘outsider’ artist Jeanne Durand, who communicated with her family through thousands of letters and daily flower drawings. In deep focus at Van Gogh House, Clémentine's intention is to get as close to their grandmother's creative process as possible and generate a piece of writing. The residency will culminate in a performance on the 29th April, and a series of 'traces' from the residency and performance will also be left inside the house and on display during April's guided tours. Generously supported by Fluxus Art Projects.
28/03/2023
VAN GOGH WALK:
Join us in celebrating 10 years of our local public space
Locals and neighbours are invited to bring a drink to the walk and celebrate at 6pm on Thursday 30th March. Weather dependent!
Through conversations, performances and events, artist Ian Giles’ commission at Van Gogh House engages with a legacy of queer homemaking.
It’s Van Gogh’s birthday on March 30th; use our template and send him a card!
03/02/2023
Ingredients of Encounter, from Ayesha Singh and Jyothidas K.V
Last week we gathered for Ayesha Singh and Jyothidas K.V's participatory performance, Ingredients of Encounter. Participants were invited to bring an “ingredient”, anything edible (or not), with a story. The performance then sifted through foods and their historical associations with our understanding of culture, identity, relationships, navigation, trade, memory and power. Culminating in a meal cooked by Jyothi. A fantastic end to the residency! Many thanks to Minerva Executive Search for their support.
13/01/2023
We welcome Ayesha Singh and Jyothidas K.V back to Van Gogh House
We're delighted to welcome Delhi-based Ayesha Singh and Jyothidas K.V. back to Van Gogh House for the winter chapter of their residency. The pair's series of interactive engagements in the summer, 'Recipoems: Trails of Reciprocity' and 'Carefully attend', involved sharing written and uttered words, poetry, prints, and potions. Many thanks to Minerva Executive Search for their support.
2022
21/12/2022
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thank you again to all our friends, patrons, visitors, artists, funders and community partners for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you in 2023, which will mark 150 years since Vincent’s stay in London. We are looking forward to an exciting anniversary programme of projects and events, welcoming Japanese, French, Dutch and Indian artists to the house, and organising celebrations fit for remembering our dear Vincent. Keep an eye out for announcements soon!
10/11/2022
WE CAME HERE:
Reading List
Explore the themes and stories you encounter in our autumn exhibition from Harold Offeh.
Read More ⟶
We Came Here: Until 18th December
21/10/2022
WE CAME HERE:
Meet Our Community Engagement Guides
Get to know Nimrod, Vaishnavi, Charmiane and JK
Read More ⟶
We Came Here: Until 18th December
21/10/2022
JOIN US:
Five-Year Anniversary Fundraising Dinner
We invite you to celebrate the support structures of friendship and community through food and nature.
Read More ⟶
Thursday 1 December, 6.30pm
27/09/2022
NOW OPEN:
Harold Offeh’s We Came Here
Van Gogh House are delighted to celebrate the opening of Harold Offeh’s installation on migration, place and lived history.
Read More ⟶
A sound and sculptural installation open until 18th December.
30/07/2022
MINERVA RESIDENCY:
Recipoems: Trails of Reciprocity
Residency event Saturday 30th July, 6.30pm
Read More ⟶
Ayesha and Jyothidas are currently in residence at the Van Gogh House and will be performing at the Roundhouse in Myatt's Fields Park!
Van Gogh House presents 'We Came Here', a new work by artist and educator Harold Offeh drawing on ideas of migration, place and lived history.
01/06/2022
DUTCH DUO RESIDENCY:
Liza and Veerle in residence at Van Gogh House
Residency event Saturday 18th June 2022
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Find out more about the Dutch Duo Residency, supported by the Dutch Embassy in the UK and the Mondriaan Fund.
If you're aged 19-24 and have experience of migration, or have generational relatives who experienced migration in their lifetime, we would love to hear from you!
29/04/2022
Minerva Residency Awarded to Ayesha Singh and Jyothidas KV.
The Minerva Residency is an opportunity for two artists to spend the month of July living and developing their practice in Van Gogh House. This year Ayesha and Jyothidas were chosen from a shortlist made by nominators based in India, and we would like to extend our thanks to all the nominators and artists we reached out to. Ayesha and Jyothidas were nominated by Prameya Art Foundation.
Thank you to our Collections Assistant Annie Mae Clear for putting together a reading list of Van Gogh's favourite books, with added context around reading in the 19th Century and books in Van Gogh's paintings. Image: Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Oleanders, Arles, August 1888, Oil on canvas, 60.3 x 73.7 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
12/04/2022
Van Gogh House awarded
ICON Tru Vue Conservation
& Exhibition Grant
We are very lucky to have been awarded a grant through the Institute of Conservation's "Tru Vue Conservation & Exhibition Grant Scheme". As many of you know, we found lots of toys under our floorboards. These have featured heavily in the development of our education project 'Vincent's Treasures' and we are so delighted that they will finally be able to be on display. First step was having the objects conserved by Stephen Umpleby - they look great!
Find out about and take part in Roma's residency through her artist talk, our Open House weekend and through her Life Writing masterclass. Image: Roma Tearne, 'Archival Selection'.
01/04/2022
Did you live in North Brixton between 1963 and 1980?
Or know someone who did? We want to hear from you! The author and artist Roma Tearne will be staying at Van Gogh House throughout April and compiling a travelogue of the streets between Hackford Road and Vassall Road and invites the surrounding community to share their memories.
Get in touch ⟶
We are looking to get in touch with anyone who lived in this small area of North Brixton during the years 1963 to 1980. If this sounds like you, please get in touch! Email us at info@vangoghhouse.co.uk, send us a dm on social media or even post us a letter! Image: Roma Tearne
Through their proposal ‘Exercises for Sabotage’, artists Veerle Melis and Liza Prins will explore contemporary issues around labour and production. Finding precedent in the Luddites, 19th century textile workers who destroyed machinery and sabotaged production processes, Veerle and Liza will consider ways we might disrupt contemporary ‘hyper-productivity’.
This April, writer and artist Roma Tearne will be in Writer-in-Residence at Van Gogh House. Her 2010 book 'Brixton Beach' told the story of a young girl who's life is turned upside down by the Sri Lankan civil war. The book parallels the Roma's experiences, who lived in a house on Southey Road - just round the corner from us. We are delighted to have been awarded an Arts Council England Project Grant for Roma's residency. This is the first time we have received any Arts Council funding, so it feels like a big step for us!
Our March poster is by Feifei Zhou, as part of our year-long fundraiser On The Western Window Pane.
The Courtauld gallery is hosting the first ever exhibition devoted to Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portraits. Our Creative Director spoke about 'Van Gogh's London' with curator Karen Serres at the online event 'Open Courtauld Hour' on the 24th February. The lecture is available to watch online for free. Image: Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), Self Portrait 1887. The Art Institute of Chicago. Creative Commons Zero CC0.
Performance takes place outside Van Gogh House 26th February 2022, 5pm. RSVP for free on our website
Our February poster is by Tom Lovelace, as part of our year-long fundraiser On The Western Window Pane.
We are pleased to announce a residency in early summer 2022, for a Dutch artist duo to stay at the Van Gogh House in London for one month. This opportunity has been supported by the Dutch Embassy in the United Kingdom, and draws a connection between our site in London and Vincent van Gogh’s homeland.
Happy New Year! We are delighted to share the January poster by Rosa-Johan Uddoh, as part of our year-long fundraiser On The Western Window Pane.
2021
Visit us over our Christmas weekend to receive exclusive offers on a mixture of jewellery, ceramics, homewares, books, artist editions and more. With plenty of unique gifts exclusive to Van Gogh House, there really is something for everyone!
Congratulations to the pupils at St. Mark's Primary School, Oval on the unveiling of three murals as part of the Vincent's Treasures project.
We are delighted to share the November poster by Will Harris and Aisha Farr, as part of our year-long fundraiser On The Western Window Pane.
Congratulations to Clare Charnley, the winner of Historic Houses’ 2021 Summer Art Competition, for her work, ‘Fingernails’. Our Co-Director Eleanor Wang sat on the panel of judges, who discussed each artwork submitted in depth before coming to a unanimous decision on a winner.
We are delighted to share the November poster by Will Harris and Aisha Farr, as part of our year-long fundraiser On The Western Window Pane.
22/10/2021
Reading list
Ten things that have been in, or around our life – definitely particular, and possibly trivial by Brian Griffiths and Frank Kent
Read More ⟶
To accompany the artists’ exhibition ‘Life and Its Most Trivial Particulars’, Brian Griffiths and Frank Kent have compiled a reading list. The artists have also chosen to pair each selection on their list with an anonymous quote, comment or review.
To celebrate our Autumn events series, author and art historian Willem-Jan Verlinden has contributed a series of texts for our website, covering topics from Vincent's love of literature, to his family and relationship with his sister Anna. This is the beginning of our online library.
01/10/2021
October poster
Black Text: A Covert Physical Manifestation in the Discursive Field by Katrina Palmer
Read More ⟶
We are delighted to share the October poster by Katrina Palmer, as part of our year-long fundraiser On The Western Window Pane.
We have curated a series of autumn events at the Van Gogh House with talks, workshops and events hosted by brilliant speakers, art historians and artists.
Our 2021 commission is now open, and visited by hundreds in our opening weekend as part of London Open House Festival!
We are delighted to share the September poster by Ye Funa, as part of our year-long fundraiser On The Western Window Pane.
We're very pleased to announce that we will be opening our doors to the public as part of Open House London Festival 2021 over the weekend of 4-5th September. Please note that although we expect tickets to book out very quickly, we will be releasing more tickets on the day, so don't be disheartened!
Our August poster is by Jordan Baseman and Frank Baseman, unveiled on 1st August 2021
As part of Allison Katz’ contribution to our On the Western Window Pane poster project, she has shared with us her husband Philip’s recipe for dressed crab.
Van Gogh House is pleased to announce 'Life and its most trivial particulars' by artists Brian Griffiths and Frank Kent, opening 4 September – 18 December 2021.
Van Gogh House and Minerva are pleased to announce the residents for the first edition of the Minerva Residency: Roy Claire Potter and Lilian Nejatpour. The Minerva Residency is an opportunity for two creative practitioners, an artist and a writer, to spend the month of August living and developing their practice in Van Gogh House, the Georgian terraced house in Brixton in which the eponymous artist once lived for a formative year in 1873-4.
Our June poster is by artist Allison Katz, unveiled on 1st July 2021
This month we visited Lesley Sharpe's London print studio to learn more about her poster, 'There are Lilacs, Hawthorns and Laburnums etc.,' currently on display in our front window for 'On the Western Window Pane.'
18/06/2021
Plant and Pigment Workshop with the Baytree Centre
We had a great day learning about plants and pigments with our resident artist Rachel Jones-Jones and local Brixton charity the Baytree Centre. Starting with how to make crayons from indigo pigment and soya bean wax, we learnt about how to modify marigold dye with copper and iron, as well as learning a bit about the young Vincent van Gogh.
01/06/2021
June Poster:
There are Lilacs, Hawthorns and Laburnums etc., by Lesley Sharpe
Read More ⟶
Our June poster is by artist Lesley Sharpe, unveiled on 1st June 2021
20/05/2021
Upcoming Artist Residents
We are very excited to announce that Hannah Cawley of Cawley Studio and Rachel Jones-Jones from Grymsdyke Farm will be undertaking a joint residency at Van Gogh House for two weeks from 31st May. During their stay, they’ll both be working on creating a permanent commission for the House, as well as running some workshops with the wonderful Baytree Centre, a social inclusion charity for women and girls based in the heart of Brixton.
Balaclava (+/-), 2019
Our May poster is by artist Madeleine Pledge, unveiled on 1st May 2021: International Workers' Day
22/04/2021
Opportunities
We are pleased to announce two opportunities at Van Gogh House:
Duty Manager (Part-time)
Deadline: midnight Sunday 9th May
Download Person Specification and Application Form
Volunteer Tour Guides
Deadline: 5pm Tuesday 11th May
Download Person Specification
Download Application Form
Vessel Head (no. 12) (2015) Inkjet print 44 X 37 cm © Brighid Lowe, courtesy of the artist
We are thrilled to announce that Van Gogh House is reopening for in person tours from 29 May. These first tours will be limited to 6 people in line with Government Covid safety guidance. From the end of June as restrictions are lifted, we will be offering an extended tour schedule so we can welcome even more visitors to the house.
Our inaugural poster is by artist and Associate Professor at the Slade (UCL), Brighid Lowe. The work is part of her existing series 'Vessel Heads'.
'On the Western Window Pane’ is a new year long fundraising project organised by the Van Gogh House, presenting 12 artist designed, limited edition posters in our front, West facing window. Curated by Benjamin Arthur Brown.
Tickets are now live for upcoming virtual workshops led by artists, drawing on Van Gogh's passions for nature and literature.
Despite the restrictions of the past year, our partnership with Oval Learning Cluster and Reay Primary School has really flourished. We are delighted to say that the results of these activities can now be shared with a much wider audience!
2020
Museum Shop Sunday is a campaign that highlights shops which play a vital role in helping arts, cultural, and heritage attractions to survive and thrive. Run by the Association for Cultural Enterprises UK, the campaign highlights the unique pieces and gifts available at the museums, galleries, libraries and other cultural venues around the country that are rooted in local communities and artisanal craftsmanship. It is a great way to practice a more sustainable way of shopping, as well as helping fellow artisan makers and cultural institutions sustain a living.
23/11/2020
Vincent’s Treasures
Mapping Workshop at Reay Primary School
Very happy that our in school education workshops can still take place! Janet from our team works closely with Lucy Hall, Art Teacher at Reay Primary School to deliver workshops as part of a project 'Vincent's Treasures' planned with Oval Learning Cluster. On this occasion we were leaning about maps and what they can tell us about the local area. Everyone very happy to be using ink pens and nibs again - this time learning how to draw as well as write! This project is supported by the Community Lottery Fund. Thank you Lucy Hall for the photos!
Van Gogh House are selling hand made, locally grown Christmas wreaths by South London family business Harts of Lee. Wreaths are made on a base of hand twisted vines, with a choice of traditional Evergreen or Blue-green foliage. Each one is unique!
1/11/2020
Due to UK Government Coronavirus guidance, our November tours will not be going ahead.
Sadly tours booked for the 28th November will no longer be able to take place. Tour vouchers can still be booked. Thank you for your support.
In October half term we hosted a group of young people from Angell Town Estate at Van Gogh House and our sister space San Mei Gallery. The group toured the House with Janet and listened to a talk given by artist Emily Moore in the gallery.
22/10/2020
Vincent’s Treasures
Workshop day at Reay Primary School
In October we were able to spend a day at Reay Primary school, teaching children about the buttons found under the floorboards at 87 Hackford Road, and trying to copy out the poem 'Autumn' by John Keats using ink and nibs, just like Vincent copied out for his brother Theo. Special thanks to Janet Currier, Lucy Hall and Rachel Carpenter for planning and facilitating. This was part of 'Vincent's Treasures', a project in partnership with Oval Learning Cluster and Reay Primary School.
We are very happy to announce that our monthly tours will restart in October 2020! We will be operating a policy of social distancing to keep everyone safe. Further details on our Tours page. Our guided tours offer visitors an opportunity to learn about 87 Hackford Road’s most famous tenant as well as the architecture, history, and future of the house. The tour begins at 87 Hackford Road and includes a short walk followed by a tour of the house’s interior. These tours are offered on the last Saturday of every month and last roughly an hour and fifteen minutes. Tours cost £12 + booking fees.
Join Livia Wang and Janet Currier on a specially crafted virtual tour of the Van Gogh House. Made collaboratively, the tour will incorporate audio recordings made by our volunteers during lock down, exploring the spaces of the house through its collections and architectural features. This tour is free and will take place on Zoom, with links sent out to registered guests on the day of the tour.
We are very glad to be participating in Open House London again, and are working hard to make this experience safe for both our visitors, staff and volunteers. In order to follow government health guidance about social distancing, we are limiting the places this year to 6 visitors per hour. Volunteers will be on hand to ensure social distancing when waiting outside outside the property and while inside the house. Visits are scheduled on the hour from 11 - 5 pm (last entry at 4pm). We ask that you pre-book using Eventbrite.
25/08/2020
New series of photographs by Isabelle Young
Shown here: ‘Figures in Gardens’ 2020
C-type print
26 x 17.2 cm
Signed edition of 7 (Plus 2 APs)
Purchase Here ⟶
Perspective and narrative positioned within the confinement of architecture are central to Isabelle Young’s work. Windows do not lead straight onto life but divide space to create a continuous sense of ambiguity. Young’s own autobiography as a third-generation Italian, born in London, also shapes her particular way of seeing and is therefore the framework to her practice. All her work is shot on film and she is continually drawn to analogue photography due to its privacy.
25/07/2020
Vincent’s Treasures gets funding!
We are so pleased that 'Vincent's Treasures' a project we will carry out in partnership with Oval Learning Cluster and Reay Primary School has been awarded funding by the Lottery Community Fund. This was based on a number of trial workshops we ran earlier in the year, with both teachers and children. This will mean we will be able to carry out more arts and cultural activities both within the curriculum and in our local community! Here is a photo of a trial session we ran, discussing the 150 year old toys we found under the floorboards.
04/07/2020
‘Clothed in Air’ by Liz Middleton, Limited Edition
Somerset Velvet 250gsm paper on Everest mount board
25.5 cm x 20.5 cm
Signed limited edition of 30
Purchase Here ⟶
'Clothed in air, the hills become blue' is a quote from Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd, who spent her life exploring and engaging with Cairngorm mountain. Sculptor and stone letter carver Liz Middleton felt a connection between Nan Shepherd's words and Van Gogh's paintings through their shared intense observation of landscape, producing this delicate piece now available in our shop.
04/07/2020
‘Creeper’ by Kate Bright, Limited Edition
Giclée print on Hahnemühle German Etching 310gsm
42 x 46 cm
Signed limited edition of 30
Purchase Here ⟶
A limited edition print of 'Creeper', a painting by Kate Bright is now available to purchase, with 10% of sales will go to local charity The Gaia Centre, Lambeth.
Gift a Van Gogh experience for two in South London! Van Gogh House and Café Van Gogh have come together to offer a joint gift voucher, for two places on a guided tour of Van Gogh’s London lodgings and a £30 to spend at his namesake café (roughly a meal and a drink for two). Café Van Gogh is an award-winning vegan restaurant that operates as a not for profit social enterprise, offering on-the-job training and paid employment for people who face additional challenges in life. Eat well under a painted starry night sky!
At the Crossroads with Vincent is an invitation for those who are self-isolating and in lockdown to use their time to exercise as a simple act of meditative participation in an art piece by listening to the audio walk on their own. You will be transported to inner landscapes and the world of Van Gogh looking at the city from the perspective of mental health. This is a great way to be outside, walk your neighbourhood alone, and feel gently guided. These 45 minutes will transport you and hopefully offer an relief from the times we are living in.
To celebrate Van Gogh's birthday, we are launching new vouchers for our Van Gogh House Tours available to buy through our online shop. To support us, please consider buying your tour voucher now - they can be redeemed for up to 18 months. © Thomas Parsons, Van Gogh House London, 2019.
30/03/2020
Happy Birthday Vincent!
Today is Van Gogh’s 167th birthday! We are also taking this chance to wish a very happy 7th birthday to our friends at Van Gogh Walk - opened on this day in 2013. This is a photo of the Vincent impersonator hired for the day, taking a wander round our house... © Livia Wang, Van Gogh House London, 2019.
17/03/2020
Coronavirus Update
Following the most recent government advice about the coronavirus pandemic and in order to protect the health of our visitors, staff and volunteers, we have taken the decision to cancel our tours for March and April. We apologise for the inconvenience and for any disappointment, but given the seriousness of the situation we would not want to put anyone at risk. We hope that you will understand and book a tour later on in the year with us. If you have already booked a tour then you will have received an e mail from us offering a refund or opportunity to rebook. Many thanks from , all at Van Gogh House London © Thomas Parsons, Van Gogh House London, 2019.
On the 12th February, to a sold out audience, we hosted Kate Bright, who spoke about her work and exhibition, 'Unreliable Biographers'. It was a warm, intimate way to draw the show to a close. Thank you to all to came. © Livia Wang, Van Gogh House London, 2019.
22/01/2020
Reay School Colour Workshop
In January we hosted our first workshop, in collaboration with Reay Primary School on Hackford Road. Led by the brilliant art teacher Lucy Hall, the purpose of the workshop was to guide primary school teachers in how to deliver lessons in colour. Our current exhibition 'Deadhead' was the perfect focus. Artist Kate Bright was able to come and speak about her own use of colour, a highlight of the evening. We are very happy to be testing out more community based workshops in the next few months, watch this space! © Livia Wang, Van Gogh House London, 2019
2019
The Van Gogh House is thrilled to announce that our next exhibition is now open to the public. "Deadhead" features the work of artist Kate Bright, whose large, vivid paintings and ceramic and bronze sculptures are the perfect antidote for the cold winter months ahead. The exhibition is open every Sunday from 2-5pm (except December 22 and 29)and runs until February 16th 2020. © Keranie Theodosiou, Van Gogh House London, 2019.
13/11/2019
Royal Academy
Patrons Visit
The Van Gogh House welcomed Royal Academy Patrons to 87 Hackford Road, where new RA Chief Executive Axel Rüger (previously the Director of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam) gave a talk about Van Gogh's experience in London. The Van Gogh House's Creative Director Livia Wang also shared the story of the house's renovation and mission with the patrons. © Keranie Theodosiou, Van Gogh House London, 2019.
10/11/2019
Timeshapes
In partnership with the Royal Drawing School, our first residents Lu Xiaoshuai and Wei Zhen are exhibiting work they have created during their one month residency at the Van Gogh House (London) and Dumfries House (Scotland). Timeshapes is open at the San Mei Gallery until November 2022. © Keranie Theodosiou, Van Gogh House London, 2019.
02/10/2019
Van Gogh House
Website
We're excited to share our new website for Van Gogh House London, designed and developed with Glyph. Our logo is inspired by the blue plaque unveiled in 1973 and created by our good friends, designers Joe Mercer and Katy Angus. © Van Gogh House London, 2019.
10/07/2019
Pulp Rocket Theatre
Vincent’s Brixton
We are excited to be working with Pulp Rocket Theatre who are currently in rehearsals for their production 'Vincent's Brixton' which will be staged at Hackford Road July 16-21. Weaving together Van Gogh’s letters with scenes from Nicholas Wright’s acclaimed play 'Vincent In Brixton' originally set at Hackford Road, Pulp Rocket Theatre’s site-specific production is a thought-provoking imagining of Van Gogh’s relationship with the Loyers and his family, and an intimate portrayal of the artist’s time in London. © Claire Zhao, Van Gogh House London, 2019.
01/06/2019
Unreliable Biographers
by Saskia Olde Wolbers
The Van Gogh House London is delighted to announce its first exhibition since its renovation. Unreliable Biographers is a solo show by artist and filmmaker Saskia Olde Wolbers, bringing together a body of work that directly responds to the legacy of Hackford Road. The exhibition will run throughout the month of June and will be open every Sunday from 2-5pm. © Saskia Olde Wolbers, 2015.
02/05/2019
Van Gogh in Europe Visit
The Van Gogh House welcomed Van Gogh Europe – a collective of museums, institutions, and landmarks across Europe affiliated with Van Gogh – to its sister space the San Mei Gallery this week. In addition to discussing exciting developments for the upcoming year, the visit also included tours of 87 Hackford Road led by our volunteer tour guides. © Claire Zhao, Van Gogh House London, 2019.
During the renovation, several artefacts concealed within the floorboards and attic were uncovered by our contractors, Triskele Conservation. Leading Van Gogh expert Martin Bailey (pictured left with our Director) announced these findings in his article published in The Art Newspaper. Read the article to find out more about the discoveries, which include a prayer book, the house's insurance documents, and a watercolour sketch of flowers. © Claire Zhao, Van Gogh House London, 2019.
