The Van Gogh Museum opens Whistler: Dandy and Disruptor, the first Dutch retrospective of American painter and printmaker James McNeill Whistler, on Friday 16 October.
It runs until 10 January 2027.
Whistler, who lived from 1834 to 1903, broke with the conventions of his day, arguing that art should stir emotions and create atmosphere rather than tell stories or copy reality.
His independence put him at odds with critics, clients and patrons, and he could spend months or even years on a single painting.
Whistler and Van Gogh
The show also looks at Vincent van Gogh’s admiration for Whistler, whose prints he mentioned in several letters.
Both artists shared an interest in Japanese art and a wish to move beyond traditional rules.
In a letter to his sister Willemien, Van Gogh wrote that Whistler’s portrait of his mother reminded him of his own mother and of the Dutch painting tradition.
Organised with Tate Britain in London, the show has a companion exhibition, Whistler.
Loving the Netherlands, at the Mesdag Collection in The Hague over the same dates.
If the show leaves you wanting more, check out our guide to Amsterdam’s best art museums and galleries.