Beyond Van Gogh coming to Glasgow this summer with breathtaking immersive experience at SEC
Art fans in Glasgow will soon have an incredible way to get up close and personal with some of the most spectacular paintings ever created.
A new event heading to the SEC this summer will celebrate Vincent van Gogh’s life and art on a scale never seen before in Scotland.
Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience will run at the popular events space from Thursday, July 11 to Sunday, August 4.
Tickets for the 2024 run of the show, which has already enjoyed success in the US, are set to go on sale from Monday (April 29).
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Though similar to an exhibition that was staged in the capital a few years ago by another company, organisers Annerin Productions and Paquin Entertainment Group have promised the Glasgow event will be on a much grander scale.
Already having been enjoyed by more than five million people across the United States, the show will celebrate its Scottish premiere in Glasgow, with the 25-date run coming hot on the heels of a UK debut in Liverpool.
Combining more than 300 of the post-Impressionist icon’s paintings with cutting-edge technology and a specially curated musical soundtrack, the event will tell the story of the artist widely considered one of history’s most influential.
His paintings will be “liberated” from their two-dimensional realms and rendered into the three-dimensional with fully immersive scenes that swirl and flow with colour and movement which organisers say will be exhilarating in every sense.
The journey will begin from dark to light, Van Gogh's dreams, thoughts and words will be set to a stirring symphonic score in a bid to appeal to a whole new generation of art enthusiasts and Van Gogh fans alike.
Featuring the personal letters he wrote to his brother, and greatest supporter, Theo, the experience will see Van Gogh’s paintings come alive in the Immersive Room, where they are freed from their frames to dominate the space and fully immerse the audience in the incredible detail of his work.
VIP Experience tickets will include selected Beyond Van Gogh merchandise alongside flexible arrival times and fast-track entry, while some will even be given the chance to enjoy special Saturday morning yoga sessions inside the exhibition itself.
Theatre producer Bill Elms said: “Beyond Van Gogh immersive experience will immerse you in Van Gogh’s artwork. This will be a much bigger version than the one in Edinburgh.
“The response to our first announcement in Liverpool was phenomenal, the city is very excited for the exhibition and I know it will be the same for Glasgow.”
Born in Zundert, in the Netherlands, in 1853 Van Gogh started his career as an art dealer, working in London and Paris, before becoming a schoolteacher, bookseller, and lay preacher.
He eventually went to focus on his art and quickly became prolific, creating more than 2,000 artworks over the course of a single decade including 860 paintings – among them landscapes, still lives, portraits and self-portraits.
Many of them were painted in the final two years of his life, when he lived in Provence, and include some of his most famous works, among them The Starry Night, Irises, Café Terrace at Night, Bedroom in Arles and Almond Blossoms.
But dogged by mental health problems, in 1889 he cut off his left ear, and the following year – aged 37 - he took his own life.
Anna Parry, UK Business Development at Annerin Productions, said: “Glasgow has long been renowned as a vibrant cultural heartland - it was the UK’s first European Capital of Culture, and the city has some wonderful, world class art galleries and museums.
“Annerin Productions are honoured to make Glasgow the initial opening of Beyond Van Gogh in Scotland. We’ve received immense support from the team at the Scottish Events Campus and we can’t wait to welcome everyone into Van Gogh’s world this summer.”
Tickets go on public sale on Monday, April 29 at 9 am and are expected to be in high demand, you can find out more info on the official website.
Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience
Where: Scottish Event Campus (SEC)
When: Thursday, July 11 - Sunday, August 4, 2024
Times: 10 am - 8 pm Monday-Friday and Sunday, 9 am-8 pm Saturday (special yoga session Saturday mornings)
Tickets: Off-peak (Mon-Thurs): Adult (13+) £25.00, (Senior 65+, NHS, Student) £19.90, Child (4-12) £15.90 – three and under go free, while the VIP Experience is £38.60.
Peak (Fri-Sun): Adult (13+) £28.40, (Senior 65+, NHS, Student) £23.30, Child (4-12) £18.70 – under three free. Yoga experience is £36.30, and the VIP Experience £45.40.
Tickets go on public sale on Monday, April 29 at 9 am and can be booked via the SEC website and the Beyond Van Gogh website.
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