A groundbreaking immersive exhibition dedicated to Vincent van Gogh opens Wednesday at Munich's Utopia venue, promising visitors the chance to walk through the dreamy landscape of "Starry Night" and experience the famous sunflowers up close. Titled "Vincent - Between Madness and Wonder," the 360-degree experience focuses on the final years of the Dutch master's life and offers a unique perspective through the eyes of Johanna van Gogh, the painter's sister-in-law who played a crucial role in establishing his posthumous fame.
The exhibition transforms the Utopia space into a walkable canvas using 360-degree projections, sound accompaniment, and 3D mapping technology typical of modern immersive art experiences. Visitors can admire van Gogh's works from all angles and literally become part of the paintings themselves. The experience runs from October 15, 2025, through January 11, 2026, with tickets priced at €24 for regular admission.
What sets this exhibition apart is its narrative perspective, told through the voice of Johanna van Gogh, known as Jo, who was married to Vincent's younger brother Theo. After both brothers died young, Johanna managed Vincent's extensive estate as a widowed mother with limited financial resources. She collected his works, carefully compiled the correspondence between her husband and brother-in-law, and organized regular exhibitions in Amsterdam that laid the foundation for the painter's later fame - yet her name often goes unmentioned in art history.
Each visitor receives an audio guide with headphones that automatically provides location-based commentary throughout the exhibition. This technical innovation creates the impression that Johanna is present in the room, narrating episodes from Vincent's life, such as the "pact" between Theo and Vincent to finance the artist's work. Her gentle voice guides visitors through van Gogh's development, from his early days in the London art trade to his progression as a painter.
The exhibition addresses van Gogh's mental health struggles with a more nuanced approach than typical portrayals. While the infamous episode where he cut off part of his ear in a state of madness is mentioned only in passing, visitors learn from numerous information panels that the troubled artist suffered from frontal lobe epilepsy. This condition's symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, and depressive episodes that tormented the painter for years while also shaping his artistic output.
The centerpiece of the experience is undoubtedly the 20-minute immersive show, where visitors relax on comfortable bean bags in a cinema-like atmosphere. The presentation begins with van Gogh's legendary sunflowers - barely noticed during his lifetime - and shows how they were auctioned at Christie's for £20 million nearly 100 years later. The paintings flow across the entire room like moving screens, with individual elements in motion: petals, brushstrokes, and stars in the sky create the impression that the paintings are being created by invisible hands, all accompanied by gentle classical music.
The show maintains this "immersive" concept throughout, culminating in a dramatic crescendo of violins as colors and images literally crash down on viewers. A wave of criticism and hostility that the painter faced during his lifetime rains down on the audience, dramatically illustrating the internal and external demons that ultimately brought van Gogh to his knees before he committed suicide in 1890, dying in his brother's arms.
The Utopia venue has established itself as a destination for immersive art exhibitions that balance visual spectacle with entertainment, having previously showcased experiences about Tutankhamun and Monet, with Frida Kahlo scheduled for December. However, visitors should manage their expectations: this exhibition displays only replicas, not original artworks, making the €24 admission price relatively steep, though family discounts are available.
The experience delivers exactly what the organizer promises on its website - an "experience" rather than traditional art viewing. Visitors seeking to watch van Gogh's sunflower petals detach from their stems and dance dreamily across walls and floors will find themselves well-served. However, those hoping to understand van Gogh's unique color techniques and artistic significance might be better served viewing an original at Munich's Neue Pinakothek, where Sunday admission costs just one euro.
Ticket prices vary by demographic: children and youth ages 6-15 pay €19, with free admission for children under 6. Students up to age 28 and seniors 67 and older also pay €19. A family package for two adults and two children costs €14.75, while group tickets for five or more people are €21 each, and school groups of at least 10 pay just €9 per person. The exhibition operates daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Utopia, located at Heßstraße 132, 80797 Munich, accessible via multiple bus and tram lines.
