Immersive Van Gogh – Los Angeles

October 8, 2021

I attended the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit in October 2021 after buying my VIP ticket a few months prior.  The general admission tickets were already pricey, but I decided to splurge on the VIP ticket since I was only paying for myself.  There was no one in the VIP line when I arrived, but the general admission line had around thirty or so people waiting. 

I was checked in promptly with the exhibition staff member explaining the perks of my VIP badge, and I was immediately allowed to enter the building.  Once you enter the building you are in an immersive corridor with Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings.  There I was approached by another staff member explaining that as a VIP I was permitted to use the lounge area which had been decorated as a French café for as long as I wanted.  I was also informed that once I was ready to enter the exhibit area I could obtain one of the seat cushions which is mine to keep as a perk of my VIP badge. 

I bought a soda (Stubborn soda for the win!), a few cookies to take home (they were terrible), and a delicious chocolate cupcake at the concessions bar.  I stopped at the sculpture of letters which included instructions on how to download the Letters app and write a letter to Van Gogh at which time I would also receive a response in the app.  While the app downloaded to my phone, I made my way to the VIP lounge to eat my cupcake. 

The VIP lounge was very nice, and it provided comfortable seats and small tables to enjoy a drink or snack before heading into the exhibit itself.  I wrote my letter to Van Gogh and read his response on the app while I ate.  I spent a few more minutes enjoying the ambiance of the lounge then headed out to the exhibit picking up my seat cushion on the way.  At the exhibit entrance another staff member informed me I can stay for as long as I wanted and recommended that I go to the second exhibit room as it is the largest and provides more images to see. 

I started in the first room where there weren’t any seats provided and watched the show.  I walked in around the middle of the video and found a spot to sit on the floor near the entrance.  Once the video completed, I went into the second room where there are a few seats available, but I chose a spot on the floor. 

The video is the same as the one shown in the first room as far as I can tell, but some images are present that I didn’t see or notice in the first room.  This could be due to the size of the room providing double the wall space for the projections.  There are pillars around the large room, but they had covered these in mirrors to reflect the images being shown on the walls and floor. 

Art has never moved me or affected me in any way, but the music and they way the paintings are animated was incredibly effectual.  I spent a little over an hour in the exhibit including the café, and another fifteen or so minutes in the gift shop.  I know there are a few other of these immersive art exhibits happening in other cities with Van Gogh and other artists, and I highly recommend attending one if you can.  I’m seriously considering attending the Monet Immersive exhibit currently happening in the Los Angeles area.