Van Gogh self-portrait to go on display in Cardiff this weekend

A Van Gogh self-portrait masterpiece is set to be displayed in Wales as part of an exhibition on famous selfies.

The exhibition called Art of the Selfie will launch at National Museum Cardiff this weekend and run until January next year.

It will be the first time Vincent Van Gogh’s Portrait of the Artist (1887) is displayed in Wales and was made possible thanks to a reciprocal loan with the Musée D’Orsay, Paris.

Other artists included in the exhibition include Rembrandt, Brenda Chamberlain, Francis Bacon, Bedwyr Williams and Anya Paintsil.

Best-known

Van Gogh painted no fewer than thirty-five self-portraits and museum bosses say he became arguably one of the most recognizable faces in Western art.

Dr Kath Davies, Director of Collections and Research, Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, said: “We are delighted to welcome Van Gogh’s self-portrait to National Museum Cardiff.

“I am sure visitors to the museum will enjoy seeing this work by one of the world’s best-known painters displayed alongside paintings by artists from our collection here in Wales.

“Self-portraits and selfies are two different things, but they do have something in common – both are used to show who you are as a person.

“We would like to encourage visitors to feel inspired by the exhibition and take their own self-portraits in all kinds of creative ways.”

Tickets

For the Art of the Selfie exhibition, Amgueddfa Cymru is encouraging visitors to pay what they can for the tickets.

Jane Richardson, Chief Executive of Amgueddfa Cymru, said: “The national collection belongs to the people of Wales. On your behalf, we care for it, conserve it and most importantly, share it.

By paying as little as a £1 you will help us to create new, inspiring ways for people to come and enjoy the national collection and the world’s most celebrated artists.”

To book tickets for the Art of the Selfie exhibition, which runs 16 March 2024 – 26 January 2025, visit www.musuem.wales/selfie

In exchange for the Van Gogh artwork visiting Wales, Amgueddfa Cymru’s much-loved La Parisienne by Renoir, also known as ‘The Blue Lady’, has made its journey across the Channel.

La Parisienne by Renoir will be available to see in the Musée D’Orsay from 26 March as part of the Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism exhibition.

The loan agreement closes Welsh Government’s dedicated year of Wales in France, which has created ties between the two countries in trade, culture and sport.