Artificial intelligence generates virtual Van Gogh at Paris expo

A new exhibition at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris uses virtual reality and artificial intelligence to immerse visitors in Vincent Van Gogh's final paintings – and even introduce them to the artist himself.

Issued on: 08/10/2023 

A visitor takes a video of a self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh during the press preview of the exhibition "Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise, last months" at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, on 29 September 2023. © AFP - Dimitar Dilkoff

By: Isabelle Martinetti

The exhibition "Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise, The Final Months", which opened this week and runs until February, is dedicated to the works Van Gogh produced during the last two months of his life, when he was based in Auvers-sur-Oise, just north of the French capital.

The Dutch painter arrived in Auvers-sur-Oise on 20 May, 1890, and died there on 29 July, aged 37, following a suicide attempt with a rusty pistol.
Visitors look at Van Gogh's "Portrait of Dr Paul Gachet" at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. © AFP - Dimitar Dilkoff

In two months, the artist produced 74 paintings and 33 drawings, including iconic works such as Portrait of Dr Paul Gachet, The Church at Auvers and Wheatfield with Crows.

"All the more surprising is that this period has never been given a dedicated showcase," said Christophe Leribault, president of the Musée d'Orsay.

Among the highlights is a room dedicated to his "double-square" panoramas, a technical revolution in which he used very long and thin canvases, prefiguring the wide-screen landscapes of cinema.

"Wheatfield with Crows" by Vincent Van Gogh (8 July 1890). © Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent Van Gogh Foundation)

Virtual Van Gogh

This exhibition also offers virtual reality experiences, a first for a French public museum.

As well as an immersive VR experience bringing to life the artist's palette, an avatar of Van Gogh made with artificial intelligence appears on a video screen at the end of the exhibition.

Visitors can ask the artist questions and receive AI-generated answers based on analysis of his letters.

"Using this avatar allows us to rethink the way we visit museums and to really take a more active role ... by asking questions ourselves and by providing information that is more personalised and tailored to each visitor," Christophe Renaudineau, head of Jumbo Mana, the Strasbourg start-up which designed the feature, told RFI.'We Love Plastic' expo questions use of AI in photography and art

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It comes as part of an experimental AI research programme aimed at creating new museum experiences and attracting younger visitors.

"The experiment should help us understand what we know about AI today, to see where the limits are and where we need to improve our knowledge so that it can be as exhaustive as possible," Renaudineau says.

"The aim over the next four months [of the exhibition] is to get as close as possible to Vincent Van Gogh. That's why we're really updating the AI ... and the AI learns from its interactions with visitors."

"Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise, The Final Months" is at the Musée d'Orsay until 4 February, 2024.