Henri-Charles Guérard
You know that we love the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, right? Now in the museum (and partly online!) you can visit the Here to Stay: A decade of remarkable acquisitions and their stories exhibition. These are not van Gogh masterpieces only; the museum has a vast collection of artworks created by other artists.
Aside from the artworks themselves, the stories behind the acquisitions play a central role in the exhibition. Furthermore, a varied group of people, from storage facility staff to Amsterdam residents, introduce their personal stories accompanying their favorite acquisitions from the past decade. We hope you will find it interesting. Today we present the story written by curator Fleur Roos Rosa de Carvalho. Enjoy!
"The printmaker I have a great weakness for is Henri Guérard. This eccentric artist was technically highly skilled. He had his own printing press, with which he experimented endlessly. He immediately acted on every wild impulse. Both in subject matter and technique he was inspired by Japanese printmaking, but he also made his own rules, constantly trying out new methods and materials. He produced countless versions of each composition, varying the colours of ink and paper…. Guérard never fails to surprise me, which is why I would love to keep buying his work. You don’t have to pass it up because of money as you can own a print by him for just a few hundred euros. However, when it comes to the museum’s acquisition policy, it is important not to allow your own taste to prevail. Your choices must transcend personal preferences, which is why acquisition decisions are always made within a team."
P.S. We have asked Van Gogh Museum staff about their favorite artworks from the museum and here's what we've got! <3