The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has opened an exhibition titled "Van Gogh and the Roulins. Together Again at Last," which reunites 14 of Vincent van Gogh's 23 portraits of the Roulin family, painted during his 15-month stay in the Yellow House in Arles (1888–89). The show features a full-scale recreation of the Yellow House façade, the original chair used by postman Joseph Roulin during sittings, and costumed actors portraying family members. It traveled from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it drew 280,000 visitors, and includes four additional paintings not shown in Boston, on loan from institutions such as the Stedelijk Museum, Kröller-Müller Museum, Kunst Museum Winterthur, and Museum Folkwang.
This exhibition matters because it offers an unprecedented art-historical reunion of Van Gogh's Roulin portraits, many of which are usually scattered across international collections. By reconstructing the Yellow House and incorporating immersive elements like letter-writing stations and live actors, the Van Gogh Museum deepens public understanding of the artist's creative environment and personal relationships during a pivotal period. The collaboration between the Van Gogh Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, also highlights how joint curatorial efforts can produce major scholarly and popular successes, drawing large audiences and revealing new insights into Van Gogh's life and work.