Cover Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers painting on display at Tate Britain in 2019 (Photo: Getty Images)

The world-famous Dutch art museum hopes the reproductions will provide a sense of hope at home

Like most museums and galleries around the globe, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has been closed to the public for nearly two months. However, the world-renowned institution has found a new and creative way to bring its collection of works into the homes of art lovers⁠—a plan to loan perfect 3D reproductions of nine of Van Gogh’s most famous works of art.

“For Van Gogh Loans, we are using our Museum Editions: high-quality reproductions that are almost impossible to distinguish from the original works,” the museum explained on its website. “The sizes, colours and even the relief of the paint are all reproduced as accurately as possible.”

High quality museum editions also feature exaggerated details that you normally wouldn’t see at a museum, including the stickers on the reverse of the painting, which chronicle where the work has been exhibited around the world.

According to a Dutch News report, the museum came up with the initiative by looking back at Van Gogh’s letters to his brother, where he wrote, “It’s not about feeling hope for better times [ahead]⁠—it’s about doing something right now.”

While the Van Gogh Loans is only available to citizens of The Netherlands due to limited transportation resources, the museum is still offering plenty of other alternatives for those sheltering in place around the world.

“The museum hopes to welcome visitors again in Amsterdam soon,” the art institution said in a previous statement. “Until then, a lot of visitors and fans fortunately know how to find us online. The museum has been sharing video tours of its vast collection, a 360 degree virtual reality tour of our exhibition In the Picture, and last Tuesday the first painting workshop video.”

See also: 10 Hong Kong Art Exhibitions To See In May 2020