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Axel Rüger (Director of the Van Gogh Museum) spoke at Auberge Ravoux – where Van Gogh’s room can still be visited almost exactly as it was – about the inspiration the artist continues to offer 125 years after his death: ‘Van Gogh was a model European. He was one of the first Europeans who travelled widely to make friends in other countries and to seek inspiration. The 125th anniversary of his death is a good moment to commemorate who Van Gogh was and what made him so extraordinary.’ The event also saw the unveiling of The Vincent van Gogh Atlas (Uitgeverij Rubinstein, 2015) – a unique reference work that documents Van Gogh’s well-travelled life through hundreds of historical photographs, drawings, letters, detailed maps and topographical material. The first copy was presented to Willem van Gogh and Machteld van Laer, descendants of Vincent’s brother, Theo van Gogh. During the afternoon, both relatives laid sunflowers and yellow dahlias on the famous painter’s grave.
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