To Gogh or not To Gogh?
To Gogh or not To Gogh?
Art fans, rejoice! The Van Gogh Immersive Exhibit made its way to New York City and was a huge success!The Van Gogh Immersive Exhibit has made its debut around the country, but New York City’s is the largest exhibit yet! Why? Because New York City is the greatest city in the world that’s why.We were all excited when the experience was first announced, but what is more exciting is that this immersive exhibit has been EXTENDED! Tickets are now on sale for November – January 2022.
Is it worth Gogh-ing?
I visited the immersive van gogh exhibit nyc on August 26, 2021. It is located at Pier 36, which is on the Lower East Side. Parking is an absolute nightmare, so heads up. We ended up parking in the exhibit parking lot. It was $36, which is hefty even for NYC! The streets in the surrounding area are crowded, but you can find parking if you search hard enough I’m sure.After they take your kidney and first-born child for parking, your experience starts. Before you even enter, you can see the building is decorated in beautiful and bright Van Gogh flowers and bright, ocean-blue lighting, which just takes your breath away.As you enter the building, you can go into the gift shop or make a quick right, and start the exhibit. As you check in, you are handed a Van Gogh fashioned seat cushion, so you can sit and be immersed into the show. 
Walk down the first hallway and read up on your Vincent Van Gogh facts and check out his self-portraits. Did you know he was only 37 years old when he died? I definitely didn’t, but I know now thanks to this exhibit. It really makes you think of the impact of his work and all he did in his short 37 years. Before you enter the main attraction of this exhibit you have the option of stopping at the bar that sits in the lobby (drinks not included in your ticket purchase). I’ve heard it is an Absinthe bar, and that NYC is the only city that has this perk. New York being all extra yet again and we're here for it!
Where do I sit?
There are three rooms you can choose from to enjoy the show. The first room is filled with giant silver spheres, so the art dances off of them and isn’t just showing on the flat walls around you. It’s pretty neat to see and it almost adds a mystical feeling to the show.The next room is the smallest room. There isn’t much going on in this room, outside of the little VIP sections. The VIP sections were roped off and covered, which will guarantee your space and your distance from fellow Van Goghers.The third room is by far the largest. This is where we sat. There were chairs scattered about, but they were all filled up by the time we got there. We grabbed our seat cushions and found a nice spot up front to sit. There’s no designated seating, so don’t be afraid to sit wherever your little heart desires. 
Get Immersed!
Sitting on the floor made the immersive experience feel that much more, well, immersive! Van Gogh’s paintings danced all over the walls and the floor to beautiful music that almost matched the paintings. I say almost because there was one song that just didn't fit the whole aesthetic of the show.His paintings were animated and each frame pieced apart specific points of the paintings, and really gave you a sense of the level of detail that went into each and every painting. Some of the frames showed you a painting or a sketch stroke by stroke, so you could see them from start to finish as they danced along the walls. When the show ended, I was almost sad. It was truly beautiful to sit through. I can’t lie, it was shorter than I expected. The show is only about 30 minutes, and although you’re allowed to stay as long as you wish, it is the same thing over and over. Don’t get me wrong, I am so happy I went and experienced it, but it’s good to be prepared for the shortness of it! 
We got up from our cushions and walked through the hallways to circle back through the gift shop. We handed in our seat cushions and were handed Van Gogh posters to take home in return. My roommate and I were both handed different posters, so we know there are at least two options to get!The gift shop may have been as large as the exhibit itself. They sell just about everything you could think of and more. Get your shop on Van Gogh-ers.
A few other notes:
- Masks are mandatory while you are in the exhibit.
- It gets a little crowded at peak times. Social distancing is not guaranteed.
- The show plays on a loop every 30 minutes, so if you’re late for your ticketed time (we were) you won’t miss anything because you can hang back and watch the show again!
Grab your tickets here: https://www.vangoghnyc.com/ and tell us ALL about it when you go! Tag us on Instagram, come back to this post and give a little review, anything to share your experience with us!Don’t forget to subscribe to our email list to stay updated on all the things ToNY offers! I promise you won’t be disappointed. Let us know what you think! Your feedback is so important to us :)
