Following the unlikely announcement of a partnership between the Pokémon Company and the Van Gogh Museum, the Amsterdam museum opened its doors a few days ago to welcome enthusiastic Pokémon fans.

There was, however, one notable disappointment: all items in the Pokémon Van Gogh Museum collection quickly sold out, as hawkers snapped up all the special edition items and resold them at significantly higher prices on online auction platforms.

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Emilie Gordenker, director general of the museum, expressed her excitement about the collaboration, stating: “This collaboration will allow the next generation to be able to experience Van Gogh’s art and his life story in a refreshing way. The Van Gogh Museum and the Pokémon Company have drawn from years of educational expertise to create a unique experience for children, their curators and hopefully many others at the Van Gogh Museum.

In a teaser, a taste of the exhibition is given: two Pokemon mascots, Pikachu and Eevee, run amok in a landscape of sunflowers and windmills – two elements often found in Van Gogh’s timeless works. As they roam the countryside, a single drop falls from the sky onto Pikachu’s head, and the two look up and notice that the landscape has changed greatly; it takes on a style reminiscent of the Dutch painter’s post-impressionist art, with his signature sweeping strokes the sky.

The sunflowers transform into cheerful Sunflora, a Pokémon creature that fits perfectly into Van Gogh’s artistic world.

The exhibition ends on January 7, 2024.