The Noordbrabants Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, opens a focused exhibition titled "Van Gogh and the Potato" on 11 October, running until 1 February 2026. The show features five Van Gogh paintings, two drawings, and a print centered on the potato motif, including "Still life with Potatoes" (autumn 1886), which has been newly identified as depicting "rat's back" potatoes. A key highlight is the study "Head of a Woman (Gordina de Groot)" (March-April 1885), acquired by the museum last year for €8.6 million. The exhibition also includes a lithograph of "The Potato Eaters" and explores Van Gogh's shift from peasant subjects to flower still lifes after moving to Paris.
This exhibition matters because it offers a fresh, thematic lens on Van Gogh's early work, emphasizing his deep connection to rural life and the symbolic weight he gave to humble subjects like potatoes. It also showcases a significant recent acquisition by a regional museum, underscoring the ongoing scholarly interest in Van Gogh's oeuvre and the importance of provenance research, as curators revised the dating of "Still life with Potatoes" from 1885 to 1886. The show highlights how Van Gogh's choice of subject matter reflected his artistic evolution and market awareness, providing insight into his transition from peasant scenes to the vibrant color experiments of his later years.