AREA15 Debuts ‘Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience’
130 years after Vincent Van Gogh’s tragic death, art aficionados can now step into his most famous paintings and his inner consciousness at a new Las Vegas Exhibit.
The internationally-acclaimed “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience” made its first-ever American debut at AREA15 on April 6.
The 19th-century-meets-21st-century light and sound spectacle allows guests to enjoy hundreds of the Dutch postmodernist artist’s most famous works through AREA15’s The Portal–a 360-degree, projection-mapped room designed for events, performances, and digital art installations.
Guests can choose to wander around the 7,000 sq. ft. animated art event space as 300 of Van Gogh’s most famous oil paintings come to life including “A Starry Night,” “The Sunflowers,” and series of self-portraits.
Extra depth is given to Van Gogh’s personal life as a voice actor shares quotes taken from letters between the artist and his brother Theo. General admission tickets include lounge seating inside the space where guests can enjoy food and drinks during the atmospheric light and sound show.
“I don’t think there’s one way to see this [exhibit],” Michael Beneville, chief creative officer of AREA15 said during a preview at the exhibit. “I think you must see it the way you want to see it.”
For a more intimate look at Van Gogh’s life, VIP tickets include a virtual reality goggle experience to “A Day in the Life of the Artist in Arles, France,” where visitors can take a virtual walk with Van Gogh in the French countryside and other vivid settings that inspired some his most famous paintings.
The world may never know what Van Gogh—who never saw fame nor fortune for his artwork during his lifetime—would have felt about his artwork being on display before hundreds of thousands of people, including at AREA15.
Still, Beneville believes that Van Gogh would find pleasure in knowing that people have come to the experience to feel the same joy he must have felt after completing one of his paintings.
“I’d like to think he would be happy that hundreds of people are gathering to celebrate his work, and I’d like to think that his skies are swirling and the paint is moving in the way that it did when it was wet and when he just painted it,” Beneville said.
The production was created by European entertainment producer, Exhibition Hub, which has produced more than 70 experiences around the world. The show has premiered across numerous cities around the world including Brussels, Naples, Tel Aviv, Beijing and Antwerp, and set to premiere in other U.S. cities including New York City, Boston, and Atlanta.
“Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience” will be on view Sundays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 3 to 10 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The experience is closed Fridays.
Adult tickets start at $35 with 20 percent off for military and seniors; children’s tickets are $19. Nevada residents receive additional discounts. VIP tickets, which include the VR experience, can be added to the general admission ticket for $10 more. Family-friendly ticket bundles are available at $80 for 2 adults and 2 children.
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