Rl Foster

Van Gogh's Show Rl Foster

In late November of 1887, Vincent Van Gogh organized a small Paris exhibition for himself and his painting colleagues from the Fernand Cormon's atelier. The students had just rebelled against Cormon's traditional approach and were embarking on their new careers. There is little known about the exhibit which did not even have an official title, although Van Gogh called it The Impressionists of the Petits Boulevards. The name was meant to distinguish these artists from the more recognized artists who showed in the more prestigious galleries on the grands boulevards. Van Gogh was joined by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard and Louis Anquetin. The show closed after a few weeks with little press coverage. The 1880's Paris was a tight-knit art community, and even an under publicized show would have attracted the attention of its artists and aficionados. Van Gogh's Show is a short history of the show followed by a fictional account of those who certainly could have been there for the opening of the show-among them are Paul Gauguin, James Whistler and the notorious Walter Sickert