'Beyond Van Gogh' exhibit returns to Samanea New York in Westbury

Vincent Van Gogh is getting an encore in Westbury.

The works of the late postimpressionist are returning to Samanea New York as the popular art exhibit “Beyond Van Gogh” arrives Nov. 8 for the holiday season. The exhibit, which originally opened earlier this year, will only be featured on Wednesdays and Fridays as it shares the space with the current exhibit, “Beyond Monet,” now showing on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Visitors can experience Van Gogh’s paintings through projection technology that brings the art beyond the frame.

“The exhibit literally allows the audience to step foot in the space covered in projections all over the walls, the floor and everywhere in the room,” says Fanny Curtat, art historian and creative team consultant. “It puts the viewer in the middle of the painting on a large scale. You have a sense of being inside the world that Van Gogh created, which helps you connect with it differently.”

The exhibit features 300-plus paintings spread across 30,000 square feet, which is broken down into three sections.

The first,, dubbed the Introduction Hall, lets attendees get to know Van Gogh from his dark years in the Netherlands to his most famous period in the south of France. This room depicts Van Gogh’s thoughts and ideas through light panels and magnified textures of his work to showcase the pattern of his brush strokes and words from Van Gogh in three languages (French, English and Dutch). 

“You get to learn about the history of Van Gogh, his conversations with his brother and the issues he had throughout his life,” says Justin Paquin, executive producer of “Beyond Van Gogh.” “Learning his back story prior to seeing the artwork is something you don’t get to experience in any of the other shows that are being created out there.”

The next space is known as the Waterfall Room, referring to the movement of the projections on both the wall and floor. 

“This room is really about entering the projection world — blending the pixel and the pigment,” says Curtat. “It’s all the elements that are so easily identifiable as the style of Van Gogh but applied to a very digital treatment. It shows how his style translates so well to contemporary tools.”

In the final phase, the Immersion Room, the full exhibit comes into play as the projections are displayed over the entire 360-degree space. There’s also a 35-minute animation loop that makes the painting projections come to life.

“It’s a trippy experience because everything moves around you,” says Curtat. “It draws different feelings from different people. Some are elated while others are moved to tears.” 

Taking selfies and video clips to post on social media throughout the exhibit is completely encouraged. There’s also a Van Gogh gift shop that sells clothing, puzzles, notebooks, mugs, magnets, pencils, jewelry and more decorated with his artwork.

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.