Pokémon & van Gogh: An Unlikely Pairing
In today’s news of weird art pairings, Pokémon is partnering with the Vincent van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam as part of a new collaboration to teach young people about the work of one of the Netherlands’ most famous artists. Together, they developed various educational activities based on the shared link with Japanese art and culture. According to the Museum, “Pokémon is a Japanese pop culture icon and Japanese prints were a significant source of inspiration for Vincent van Gogh.”
Launching today and running through January 7th, 2024, attendees will be able to explore a number of Pokémon-themed exhibits as part of the Museum’s 50th anniversary celebration, including collecting promo cards and even joining instructional classes on how to draw Pikachu.
The exhibit itself consists of six new paintings depicting the pocket monsters in the style of van Gogh, which is just insanely delightful.
Left: Pikachu inspired by ‘Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat’, Naoyo Kimura (1960), The Pokémon Company International, ©2023 Pokémon / Nintendo / Creatures / GAME FREAK. Right: Vincent van Gogh, ‘Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat’, 1887, Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation).
Munchlax & Snorlax inspired by ‘The Bedroom’, sowsow (1988), The Pokémon Company International, ©2023 Pokémon / Nintendo / Creatures / GAME FREAK.
The promo part of the exhibition seems to have drawn the most attention so far, particularly with scalpers who are already spoiling the event by trying to buy up every item of merchandise available. Video footage of the opening day shows the museum’s gift shop being overrun by alleged scalpers, large, noisy crowds pushing and shoving to grab as much of the store’s merch as they can, along with an exclusive trading card, presumably for the lucrative resale market. Tweets (or x’s, posts, idk) condemning these actions immediately popped up, like this one saying, “Really sad. The one time the Pokémon Company does something more accessible to the European market and this is how people behaved. It’s a shame for the ones that want the card for collection and not to make a quick buck.”
It’s not surprising that re-sellers would be after these collectibles as basically any type of merch associated with Pokémon is extremely popular, especially limited edition merchandise. Just yesterday, Kotaku, a news and opinion site about games and entertainment, reported that $120 Pokémon-themed skateboards are being resold for $20,000. However, a museum devoted to an artist who was born 170 years ago is surely one of the most improbable settings for these types of escapades.
Hopefully after this stressful opening day, those who actually appreciate the art and unique collaboration will be able to access the exhibits free from greedy scalpers in it for a quick buck. I am of the opinion that the more collaborations or promotions between pop culture and more “high-brow” artists or museums, the better chance we have to engage with younger generations and newer audiences. More people experiencing art is always going to be better for everyone.
