Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience

Several digital art exhibits featuring the work of Vincent Van Gogh are traveling the United States in 2021 and 2022.

What is Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience?

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is one of several exhibits of the master’s works.

Rather than looking at canvases on a museum wall, paintings like “Starry Night,” “Wheatfield with Crows,” “Self Portrait,” as well as many other lesser-known works come to life through a process of animation which are then projected onto giant 30′ tall screens. Dramatic scenes of Vincent’s paintings are unfurled, float and melt into each other as the program progresses. The screens envelope guests on all sides in a space about the size of a basketball court. Music enhances the show.

The entire program lasts about 45 minutes. There’s also some smaller animated and static exhibits in other parts of the space. An option VR program is available for an additional fee.

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is playing in Las Vegas, Miami, Atlanta, NYC, Dallas, Philadelphia, Seattle, Washington D.C,, Houston, and Boston in 2021 with some cities scheduled to stretch the exhibit into 2022.

Les Luminessences d’Avignon

The exciting technology that bring Van Gogh’s works to life has been used in Europe for several years. We first experienced it at Les Luminessences d’Avignon in the courtyard of the Pope’s Palace in Avignon, France.

The animated history of France was projected onto the Medieval walls. The entire program was in French, but not understanding the narration did not in away diminish the exciting story that surrounded us on all sides.

Unfortunately, Les Luminessences d’Avignon is no longer playing at the Pope’s Palace.

Baux de Provence

Baux de Provence is a small Medieval village in the south of France. About 1.5 million people visit the town’s castle and fortress annually. It’s worth your time to hike past the tourist shops to the top of the castle for spectacular views.

But, the real attraction in Baux de Provence is the abandoned limestone quarry where Les Carrières de Lumières has been creating spectacular animated art exhibits since 2012.

Like Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Les Luminessences d’Avignon, painting float, turn, break apart, and dissolve to a soundtrack of classical and pop music. However, what makes Les Carrières de Lumières special is the setting.

Inside a room of limestone rock, art work moves along wall, rock pillars, ramps, and the floor. Thousands of square meters are filled with dozens of different exhibits. This sensory overload will keep you entertained for a couple hours, at least.

The exhibits change about once a year, so you can visit again and again. Currently, Les Carrières de Lumières is running a Cézanne program. Admission is only 14 Euro. For comparison, we paid $35 each for Van Gogh: The Immersive Exhibit, plus $10 for parking.

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including in-depth eating and drinking guides to Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, Monsaraz, and Evora in Portugal. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms and is distributed by the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.