After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime (thank you for that, Covid), Tom and I managed to attend the Beyond Van Gogh “experience” yesterday here in Albuquerque. Actually, we tried to go last week but found the building shut down due to some kind of permitting problem. Interesting, as it opened on March 2, weeks earlier. Given that the general manager told us we could come back any time once they reopened, it was no biggie – to us. For those folks who’d come down from Santa Fe or, worse, out of town or even out of state, it was a pisser since they weren’t issuing ticket refunds. I hope it worked out for them all. The tickets weren’t cheap at $40 per person.

I was a tad skeptical given that one friend had gone a few weeks ago and pronounced it MEH. Worse, Tuesday I read a review on some New Mexican art blog. The guy wasn’t particularly impressed, though he mentioned that when the show hit, it hit. I thought it wise not to mention any of this to Tom before we went in. We’d already spent the money. In the end that was a good strategy, because the start of the whole “experience” lacks. But at least I was prepped for that and could then assuage the husband.

You walk into the darkened building. They check your ticket, and you get into a conga line that snakes its way through backlit panels covered with lots of writing. Well, it looks like lots of writing, but since it’s in both English and Spanish, it’s less than you think at first glance. BTW, New Mexico has two official languages, so I’m not sure if this is the case in all places.

So, you’re walking very s-l-o-w-l-y while people read all these things about Van Gogh and bits and pieces of his correspondence with his brother Theo. (You’re also very aware that you forgot your mask in the car, hence you’re not getting too close to those in front of or behind you. And you wonder why they don’t mention Theo’s widow Jo who is very much responsible for making Vincent as known as he is today.)

Tom’s getting a little agitated by the slow walkers and readers, AND you can see that there are at least four or five rows of reading material. Will the whole freaking show be like this? I eventually come clean that I read that review and tell him that it’s supposed to get better. (Please, God, let it be so.)

At this point, I have to say that Tom and I were lucky enough to visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam back in 2019. So, we’re reading about only a few of the things we learned during that visit…where we also saw the actual paintings that Van Gogh did. If you don’t know much about Van Gogh before you go to Beyond VG, you aren’t going to come away a VG scholar. At all.

Finally, we make it to the…”experience.” It’s a really BIG room. Music is playing: soft jazz, a little French something or other, and a couple versions of Don McLean’s Vincent, all stuff I like. Now and again someone speaks in French, but it’s a little garbled given the sound system. Still – it’s French, and I have a French degree, so it’s all GOOD. Then you start taking in the changing walls. There must be dozens of projectors in the ceiling aimed at the walls and the floor. First there are artist sketches, Vincent’s; moments later color starts to fill them in. For about a half-hour we watch his paintings and color wash over us on the floor and the walls to music that I would listen to at home. No, it’s not like the thrill of seeing his actual work in Amsterdam, but it’s entrancing nonetheless. It’s an…”experience.”

There seems to be a crescendo of art, music, and quotes on the walls. Is it over? After Vincent’s self portraits surround us, the sketching we entered to starts again. Clearly, it’s a loop that will play over and over throughout the day. Tom’s ready to leave, and I suppose I am too. The novelty had captivated me, but it wouldn’t for too long especially since I’m not yet comfortable around many people who aren’t masked. (NM’s numbers are quite low right now, thank goodness.)

 

 

 

The exit dumps you into the “shop.” We are NOT impressed. Many of the goods available are of rather shoddy quality and are far more expensive than the things we saw and bought in Amsterdam! I don’t need a t-shirt for $36 or socks for $19. Really. That left a bad taste in our mouths.

Chatting on the way home, I said that, while the conga line might have dimmed our expectations for Beyond Van Gogh, I enjoyed the actual show. Tom admitted that he would spend the $40 over again. Drop me over with a feather! This is not a man who opens his wallet for too many art events. If you’re considering going, I’d say that you should. Don’t expect that you’ll learn too much about Van Gogh, but you will appreciate the show and him a lot more if you do a little research before you get there. Then just…revel in the music and the experience.

 

 

 

If you’ve attended Beyond Van Gogh or any of the similar  shows they’ve created, what were your impressions?