Van Gogh in

Art Academy

Vincent often frequented the Royal Academy of Art; it was not only an educational institution but also an important exhibition venue. In August 1881, he visited the annual show of the Hollandsche Teeken-Maatschappij (Dutch Drawing Society), which featured works by artists such as Jozef Israëls, Anton Mauve (1838–1888), Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch (1824–1903) and Jacob Maris (1837–1899). He attended the exhibition again the following year. And in early July 1882, he went to see a show of works by French artists from private collections (including paintings belonging to Hendrik Willem Mesdag (1831–1915)).

The Royal Academy of Art was founded in 1682 and is the oldest art school in the Netherlands. First housed at other sites in The Hague (on the Korenbeurs and the Boterwaag), in 1839 the academy finally opened its doors at Prinsessegracht 4 (the street was then also known as Boschkant because it was opposite the Haagse Bos forest). Nothing remains of the temple-style neoclassical building that existed then; it was replaced by the current building in 1937.