The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is dedicating an exhibition to James McNeill Whistler, the American in London who wanted painting to be music, not a narrative.

In 1877, a critic accused him of throwing a pot of paint in the public's face. James McNeill Whistler sued him for libel and won, but the court awarded him only a farthing in damages, a quarter of a penny, and left him to pay the costs. He was left ruined. The Van Gogh Museum is dedicating the largest European retrospective to him in thirty years, and a first in the Netherlands. Around one hundred works are on display, including the nocturnes on the Thames, where the fog swallows the banks until only a shower of sparks remains. The White Girls, white silhouettes against a white background. And the Arrangement in Grey and Black, this portrait of his mother which, against all intents and purposes, became the icon of American filial piety.

See also, our exhibitions in the Netherlands and the entire Europe section.

VAN GOGH MUSEUM
Amsterdam - Netherlands
From October 16, 2026 to January 10, 2027