Have you ever heard the rumors of a famous artist who cut off his ear? Well, that artist, a painter named Vincent Van Gogh, indeed cut off a piece of his ear in a fit of rage. Despite his notoriety for being a little mad, he created many beautiful works that have been renowned around the world, such as his most famous painting called “Starry Night.” He wasn’t as appreciated in his time, the late 1800s to early 1900s, but our modern world has come to revere his post-impressionist work. In appreciation of his work, there is a one-of-a-kind traveling art exhibit that has come to Atlanta called Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.
This immersive Van Gogh exhibit is located at a 20,000-square-foot building in the Pullman Yards in downtown Atlanta. The immersive exhibit features Van Gogh’s most compelling works using projectors and moving videos to create an interactive and beautiful show to display those works. If you love history, every piece has background information listed, and there is a documentary video
playing in the first part of the exhibit.
Let us give you a quick walk-through of the experience.
The front exterior of the exhibit building is decorated with a beautiful Van Gogh sign, and as you walk into the building, there is a big wall decorated with sunflowers. Make sure to take a picture at this wall! It has good lighting coming in from outside and will be your best option for an insta-worthy shot. You will then walk into the first part of the exhibit, which feels a bit like a typical layout of a museum where you can view his different works and collections up close and read the descriptors that provide background details to the pieces and collections. This section contains some fun moving and changing pieces with the help of projectors, 3D pieces and full-size recreations of some of his works.
You will then move to the big show, which is the 360-degree audibly and visually immersive room. Before entering this room, make sure to read the show’s explanation, located right in front of the entrance door to the room, to get a greater appreciation of the meaning behind the show. Once you enter the showroom, you will see every wall and even the floor covered in moving animations. Most people decide to sit on the ground or the few benches placed around the room, which gives the best experience, so you aren’t in people’s view of the show while you look around the room. This show lasts about 30 minutes and is so detailed that it would be worth watching twice to really experience every part of the room.
After you experience the 360-degree room, make sure to take advantage of the coloring station to do your own coloring page of one of Van Gogh’s works. You can even pay to use virtual reality goggles to add to your experience. Lastly, don’t forget to grab a fun souvenir from the gift shop!
Tickets are on sale through November but this popular attraction is one that is hard to get in! Book now at vangoghexpo.com/atlanta.