Van Gogh Museum features African artist for first time - Visual Art - Arts & Culture

Al-Ahram Weekly

31-05-2025

Expressive brushstrokes depict a man seated at a table, his face hidden behind a book of Japanese prints, a plastic chair in the corner, and a Nigerian passport lying on the table.
It is one of 10 new paintings by Nigerian artist John Madu, created for "Paint Your Path" -- the first solo exhibition by an African artist at Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum, which opened Friday.
Madu, 42, produced the 10 works in just three months in his Lagos studio, each responding to one of seven paintings by the Dutch master.
"Before I even knew who Van Gogh was, I knew about his work," said the artist, recalling how as a child he admired his father's calendars filled with Impressionist art.
"Van Gogh's works actually stuck out to me because of the yellows, the swirls, the strokes," he told AFP.
Madu plays on the global familiarity of Van Gogh's work to build connections between local and universal themes, notably through self-portraiture and the use of symbols.
Van Gogh's famous wooden chair is reimagined by Madu as a white plastic seat -- sometimes the main subject, sometimes carried on the shoulder of a protagonist resembling the artist entering a cafe in France's Provence region with a yellow facade.
"So I feel the world of Van Gogh plays out for people to relate to you," he said.
"I really wanted to pay homage to this master I really love.
"So I thought for it to blend perfectly, the strokes, the brush strokes, the colour theme should connect together.
"That would make the works actually feel like one."
This is not Madu's first dialogue with Western art -- his previous works have drawn inspiration from Gustav Klimt, Edward Hopper and Norman Rockwell.
These references resonated with the "Beeldbrekers" ("Image Breakers"), a group of young adults who co-commissioned the exhibition with the goal of making the Van Gogh Museum more inclusive -- both in its exhibitions and outreach.
"For me, especially, it's a kind of representation to see an African artist being represented in a museum like this," said Himaya Ayo, a 22-year-old member of the Beeldbrekers.
"So, when I heard that, I immediately signed up for it, and now I get to take part in this amazing, but also very historical moment."
Follow us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Whatsapp
Short link: