Art Institute’s new Van Gogh exhibit a showcase for works we barely know

Vincent van Gogh, “Factories at Clichy,” 1887. The painting is among the works featured in “Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Modern Landscape” at the Art Institute of Chicago. (Saint Louis Art Museum)

Few names stand taller in art history than Vincent van Gogh. Since he took his own life at age 37 in 1890, the emotionally troubled Dutch artist has been featured in hundreds of exhibitions across the world. Indeed, it seems fair to ask: Is there anything new that can possibly be said about him?

Jacquelyn N. Coutré, associate curator of painting and sculpture of Europe at the Art Institute of Chicago, and Bregje Gerritse, a researcher at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, believe the answer is a resounding “yes.”