Unlikely Art Duo Causes Chaos In Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM’S Van Gogh Museum has presented a new exhibition – Pokémon– Van Gogh style! 

However, the Pokemon X Van Gogh collection has already created chaos at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, as this unexpected union has resulted in fans going wild for the merchandise! Perhaps it has bitten off more than it can ‘PikaCHEW’ with this one? 

The exhibition was created to celebrate the museum’s 50th anniversary and recognise the link between Van Gogh and Japanese art, as it is well known that Japanese prints were a significant source of inspiration for him. The collection contains paintings of beloved classic Pokémon that are painted in Van Gogh’s unmistakable style. 

Alongside this, the museum set up a game called ‘The Pokémon Adventure’,  a scavenger hunt where visitors collected clues along the way from the modern artworks and Van Gogh’s classic masterpieces. Upon completion, a limited edition promo card was received. That is, until the cards were exhausted entirely, along with all other Pokémon-themed merchandise, on the very same day of the exhibition’s opening. Footage seen on social media shows the frantic frenzy in the gift shop as people lined up to get the cards and pushy resellers ran rampant outside. Nikki Meijer-Vosters, a lifelong Pokémon fan, stated that it was “chaotically busy,” and that forceful people outside “offered her money for the cards” even after she repeatedly refused. 

On the museum’s official website they state that, ‘recently, a small group of individuals has created an undesirable situation that has led us to take the difficult decision to remove the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo card from the museum. In this way, visitors will be able to experience this special collection in a safe and enjoyable manner’. 

The ‘Pokemon adventure’ is still open to the public until 7 January 2024.