BEYOND VAN GOGH: THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE Opens In Birmingham This Week

A mesmerising and moving show which brings Vincent van Gogh's works to swirling life around its visitors opens in Birmingham this week.

Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience will be at Hall 11 at Birmingham NEC from Thursday, 1 August to Sunday, 1 September as part of a strictly limited run of UK dates.

And ahead of its opening to the public, a special VIP preview event will take place at the venue on Wednesday evening for invited guests including leading figures in the city.

The attraction has already delighted tens of thousands of art lovers in Liverpool and Glasgow, with praise coming from members of the public and critics alike who have described it as ‘magnificent', ‘captivating', ‘imaginatively created and curated' and ‘deeply moving'.

Produced by Annerin Productions and Paquin Entertainment Group, the immersive experience is the largest Van Gogh show ever staged in Birmingham, combining more than 300 paintings with cutting-edge technology and a specially curated musical soundtrack to tell the story of one of history's most influential artists.

Visitors are taken on a journey through the artist's world from darkness to light, enhanced by his own dreams, thoughts and words set to a stirring symphonic score in this sensational narrative experience which appeals to a whole new generation of art enthusiasts and Van Gogh fans alike.

Beginning in the Introduction Hall, visitors connect with Vincent van Gogh through personal letters he wrote to his brother, and greatest supporter, Theo.

Visitors then move into the heart of the exhibition – the Immersive Room – where Van Gogh's paintings are freed from their frames to dominate the space and fully immerse the audience in the incredible detail of his work, awakening their imagination in a playful and dreamlike way as they are enveloped in colourful flowers, cafés and stunning landscapes, shifting and swirling across the projection-swathed walls and floor.

While entry is by timed ticket, visitors can spend as much time as they want inside the experience.

Youngsters aged three and under go free, and ticket prices for children aged four to 12 start at £9.60, making it a great option for families to make special memories over the summer holidays.

VIP Experience tickets are also available which include selected Beyond Van Gogh merchandise, flexible arrival times and fast track entry.

And there is also a chance to take part in special Saturday morning yoga sessions which are held inside the exhibition itself.

Anna Parry, UK Business Development at Annerin Productions, said today: I'm so excited to see Beyond Van Gogh open at Birmingham NEC this week. We knew we couldn't present the exhibition in the UK and not bring it to the beating cultural heart of England.

“It's a truly immersive, intense and memorable experience. Audiences in Liverpool and Glasgow have also told us how profound and moving they have found it. And we've seen many young visitors who have been absolutely entranced by the paintings which spring to life around them.

“I can't wait to open the doors in Birmingham now and welcome new visitors to Vincent's wonderful world.”

Ian Taylor, Managing Director at the NEC Group, added: "We're really excited for people in the Midlands to experience Beyond Van Gogh. It's a beautiful exhibition that really takes your breath away. 

"The truly immersive experience is incredible and a brilliant example of how diverse a venue the NEC can be!"

BEYOND VAN GOGH

VENUE: The NEC, Pendigo Way, Marston Green, Birmingham, B40 1NT - HALL 11

DATE: Thursday, 1 August - Sunday, 1 September 2024

TIME: 10am-8pm Monday-Friday & Sunday/ 9am-8pm Saturday (special yoga session Saturday mornings)

PRICE: Off-peak (Mon-Thurs): Adult 13+ £26.00/ Senior 65+, NHS, Student £21.00/ Child (4-12) £9.60/ Three and under go Free/ VIP Experience £42.00

Peak (Fri-Sun): Adult 13+ £29.00/ Senior 65+, NHS, Student £24.00/ Child (4-12) £19.00/ Under three Free/ Yoga £36.50/ VIP Experience £45.00

All prices include booking fees. | Flexible entry add-on £4.50 (off-peak)/£5.50 (peak)

Entry is by timed ticket. No change of date or time is permitted unless you have purchased flexible ticket add on. Please arrive 15 minutes before your entrance time.

VIP Experience includes flexibility to arrive two hours before or after your scheduled time, fast track entry and choice of selected merchandise package.

Tickets can be booked via www.thenec.co.uk

Top image credit: Graham Smillie

About Annerin Productions:

With more than 40 years in the industry, Annerin Productions recognises the demand for elevated entertainment and immersive experiences and is well positioned to deliver them. We constantly explore new entertainment avenues and push the boundaries of what is possible. With offices in Canada, the United States and London, Jeff Parry Promotions and Annerin Productions have expanded but remain true to their core aim: to provide global audiences with extraordinary entertainment.

About Vincent van Gogh:

Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh was born to a Protestant minister and his wife in Zundert, in the Netherlands, in 1853 and started his career as an art dealer, working in London and Paris.

He also worked as a schoolteacher in Ramsgate and London, a bookseller, and a lay preacher in a Belgian mining community, before in 1880 his younger brother Theo suggested he concentrate on art.

Van Gogh quickly became prolific, creating more than 2,000 artworks over the course of a single decade including 860 paintings – among them landscapes, still lives, portraits and self-portraits. Many of them were painted in the final two years of his life, when he lived in Provence, and include some of his most famous works, among them The Starry Night, Irises, Café Terrace at Night, Bedroom in Arles and Almond Blossoms.

But dogged by mental health problems, in 1889 he cut off his left ear, and the following year – aged 37 - he took his own life.

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