John Madu

The exhibition Van Gogh x John Madu: Paint Your Path opens at the Van Gogh Museum at the end of May 2025. This small-scale exhibition is a first for the museum: never before has there been a display of work by a contemporary African artist.

The Nigerian artist John Madu (1983, Lagos) drew inspiration from the life and work of Vincent van Gogh. He selected seven paintings by Van Gogh from the museum collection and created ten new works in response. These works are brought together in the exhibition, where they enter into artistic dialogue.

Madu explains: ‘Revisiting Van Gogh’s works and reinterpreting his visuals in a West African context allows me to create a bridge between local narratives and a global audience.’

John Madu, ‘No Food for Lazy Man II’ , 2025. Courtesy of Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery and the artist.

A new and personal perspective on Van Gogh

Madu combines iconic images from European and North American art history with aspects from daily life in West Africa. He explores how local visual traditions relate to Western visual culture in a globalised world.

Van Gogh’s work plays a significant role, as his paintings are amongst the world’s most recognisable. Madu aims to make connections between the local and the global: ‘I use this combination to emphasise universal human experiences, while also revealing the unique cultural narratives that co-exist in our globalised world.’

Madu borrows recognisable elements from Van Gogh’s works, such as a self-portrait, flowering orchards or even a skull, and uses them to create new stories, connecting the global and the local. Madu offers a fresh perspective on Van Gogh, while at the same time Van Gogh’s work reflects back on Madu.

Madu feels a personal connection with Van Gogh, both as an artist and as a person. Van Gogh’s perseverance and tenacity inspired Madu to free himself from social expectations and to follow his own path as an artist.

‘More than any artist I have paid homage to, I see Van Gogh’s works as a marker for artistic individualism.’ - John Madu

Co-curated by the Beeldbrekers (ReFramers)

This spotlight exhibition was realised in collaboration with the Beeldbrekers (ReFramers), a group of young adults that challenges the Van Gogh Museum to reflect on its mission and its commitment to inclusivity. The ReFramers curate a display annually in the museum, which gives them the opportunity to explore their own vision and imagination. This year’s project, Paint Your Path, resulted in a remarkable exchange between Nigeria and the Netherlands, encompassing art, narrative and perspective.