VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - You've probably seen Vincent Van Gogh's painting "Starry Night." Now, imagine being completely surrounded by it.
That's the experience a successful traveling exhibit is promising with its arrival in Hampton Roads.
Thursday, July 6, "Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience" opens to the public inside the Virginia Beach Convention Center.
It takes 300 of the 19th century Dutch artist's works and projects them onto the walls, using music and words to tell the story of Van Gogh's life. The so-called "Immersive Experience Room" follows the Education Room, where visitors can read facts.
"It's really about breathing new life into the paintings you probably already know and love," said Fanny Curtat, the exhibition's historian. "We tend to remember the darkness of [Van Gogh's] life: the ear-cutting incident, the poverty, the mental illness issues. All of these things that you don't see when you look at his work. His work [is filled] with light, with color, with brightness. It's about overcoming the darkness in your life."
Produced by Paquin Entertainment Group, the show has sold more than 5 million tickets in exhibitions around the world, according to a release from Virginia Arts Festival.
The nonprofit says tickets are already selling quickly for the Virginia Beach stop.
"Especially during the summer months, what a great way to drive economic impact for the region and for the city," said Dianna Starkey, Director of Marketing and Communication for the Virginia Arts Festival. "Normally, we are a performing arts organization, but we really like arts of all form. This is just another way for us to share great art with our community."
"Beyond Van Gogh" runs through September 2 and is open Tuesday through Sunday starting at 10 a.m. Tickets start at $33.99 for adults and $23.99 for children 5-15.
For more information, including the schedule and tickets, click HERE.
