The invention of synthetic pigments in the 19th century made it possible for artists to quickly and easily create drawings in colour. This small-scale exhibition shows a selection of these drawings by artists such as Van Gogh, Redon, and Gauguin.

In the 19th century, drawing in colour became a significant art form, owing in part to the availability of new synthetic pigments. Artists – from realists to pointillists and from Impressionists to symbolists – started using materials such as pastel and watercolour to express themselves on paper.

These works were often exhibited alongside paintings, and became popular with a new group of collectors from the upper middle class.

Colourful drawings

The Power of Pigments offers a refreshing perspective of colourful drawings by 19th-century artists. The presentation includes a selection of highlights from the museum’s collection, works that are rarely put on public display due to their fragility. Several of the works have never been exhibited before. Collection in Focus

For decades and counting, the Van Gogh Museum has collected pastels and watercolours by those who inspired Vincent van Gogh, by his contemporaries, and by those whom he inspired. In addition to drawings by Van Gogh, this presentation also features work by artists including Jean-François Millet, Camille Pissarro, Paul Gauguin, Odilon Redon, Henry Somm, Louis Anquetin and Armand Guillaumin.

The Power of Pigments is on display on the second floor of the Rietveld building from 16 January until 18 May 2025.