Observing or Using Van Gogh’s Bedroom: New Approach to Attracting the Art Audience

Year 2018, Volume: 11 Issue: 21, 83 - 89, 15.01.2018

Dejana Prnjat

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine a successful example of using arts in creating promotional campaign that expands the concept of museum experience. It is a campaign conducted by the Art Institute of Chicago, in order to introduce the wide public to the coming exhibition which, for the first time in North America, exhibited all three versions of van Gogh's painting The Bedroom. The institute, advised by the leading marketing agency, created and advertised for rent a room identical to the one van Gogh painted. The results of this paper confirm that it is  to use an unconventional promotional approach in order to attract the attention of the general public to an art event. The basic method in this work is the case study method, and also it is used content analysis as empirical method of data collection.

Keywords

Van Gogh painting the bedroom, the art institute of chicago, art audience, promotion

References

• Image 1. Wheatfield with Crows. Retrieved from http://www.vggallery.com/painting/p_0779.htm Image 2. Portrait of Dr. Gachet on the left, The Red Vineyard, on the right. Retrieved from http://www.vggallery.com/painting/p_0753.htm and https://www.vangoghstudio.com/the-red-vineyard/ Image 3. All three versions of the picture The Bedroom. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/vincent- van-gogh-true-colours-of-artists-paintings-revealed-by-scientists-a6873671.html Image 4. X-ray image of the first version of the van Gogh’s painting. Retrieved from http://slaapkamergeheimen.vangoghmuseum.nl/examination/ ?lang=en Image 5. Version of the painting by the Chicago experts. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35576268 Image 6. Room for rent above and the 2nd version of The Bedroom below. Retrieved from http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2016/02/van-gogh-room-airbnb/