The Kunsthaus Zurich is presenting an exhibition on the artistic parallels between Matthew Wong (1984-2019) and Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) until January 26. Works by the Chinese-Canadian artist are in dialogue with masterpieces by van Gogh.
This is the first time in Switzerland that a museum has dedicated a retrospective to Matthew Wong, the Kunsthaus announced on Thursday. Vincent van Gogh was his “great model” and one of his sources of inspiration.
Like van Gogh, Wong came to painting as an autodidact. His work consists of imaginary landscapes and interiors that contain many artistic allusions to van Gogh, but also to Henri Matisse, Gustav Klimt, Shitao, Yayoi Kusama and Alex Katz, explains the Zurich museum.
Similarities
Like van Gogh, Wong uses colour ‘very expressively’. His brushstrokes are also reminiscent of the Dutch artist. There are also biographical similarities between the two artists: they suffered from mental illness and committed suicide, Wong at 35 and van Gogh at 37.
The exhibition ‘Matthew Wong – Vincent van Gogh. Painting as a Last Resort’ presents around forty works by Wong and a dozen masterpieces by van Gogh. It is being organised in cooperation with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which is lending the Zurich museum ‘some very valuable paintings’. The exhibition, which has already been shown in Amsterdam, will then travel to Vienna.
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