Of the many sketchbooks that Van Gogh must have had, only four have been preserved. They are in the collection of the Van Gogh Museum, and three are now included in the anniversary exhibition Van Gogh at work.
This exhibition is accompanied by a unique publication: the first-ever facsimile edition of all four sketchbooks. The original sketchbooks provide an intimate glimpse into the painter’s life and working methods, with sketches in pencil, pen, ink and chalk, personal notes, addresses and lines of verse. The first sketchbook dates from Nuenen and the fourth from his final days in Auvers-sur-Oise. The other two contain work and notes from Van Gogh’s years in Nuenen, Antwerp and Paris.
The facsimile is a joint publication of The Folio Society in London and the Van Gogh Museum. The sketchbooks are housed in an impressive display box that also contains a folder of facsimiles of loose leaves from the sketchbooks and a slim volume of commentary by Marije Vellekoop, Head of Collections, and Renske Suijver, Van Gogh Museum researcher. The facsimile edition is limited to 1,000 copies and can be purchased in the museum shop and shortly at www.vangoghmuseumshop.com.
