Artdots Throwback: Van Gogh x John Madu Exhibition
The first solo exhibition of an African artist in the Van Gogh Museum presents an artistic dialogue that opens up new perspectives. It brings together seven original works by Vincent van Gogh with ten new works by John Madu offering a contemporary viewpoint of Van Gogh’s work. The artworks were inspired by the Dutch painter, and created in just 3 months.
The exhibition was on view from 30 May until 7 September 2025. Van Gogh x John Madu: Paint Your Path was co-curated by the ReFramers.
About John Madu
John Madu (b. 1983, Lagos) is a Nigerian multi-disciplinary artist whose figurative paintings and mixed-media works explore the complexities of identity, social behavior, and cultural globalization. His distinctive style fuses personal iconography, striking textures, and vibrant colors to craft layered visual narratives that are both intimate and universal.
Madu has referenced famous painters and their artworks as early as in 2020, during the global pandemic, with “John in the Bedroom in Arles” referencing Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and Klimt’s “The Kiss”, and “Is It Safe Yet (Grace Jones in a Starry Night)” referencing both Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and Hopper’s “Morning Sun” describing that this work infuses “art history and African history with the iconic Queen Idia ivory mask subtlety on a book, questioning a documentation of African art history”.
With contradicting titles of both paintings I found a balance knowing Van Gogh created the “Starry Night” in the day time, from his room in the asylum he voluntarily admitted himself into. In light of hope for better days ahead and a need to socialize again, my subject the iconic Grace Jones looks outside the window in anticipation and interest of being somewhere else outside her present location, peeking through a starry night. - John Madu
Later, in 2024, he again referenced Hopper’s artwork with “Nighthawkers (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun)”. Madu described his thoughts on the original painting and his reinterpretation as:
The Nighthawks painting by Edward Hopper always reminded me of a movie set, the aggressive cropping of angles, the lighting and the characters. I have always admired his ability to depict his characters in a sort of emotionally unresolved way and in ambiguous relationships of these characters showing a disconnect most times even though in the same space. I can understand the isolation of the characters felt in the Nighthawks painting, since it was created 2 weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1942 which prompted America’s entry into World War II, the gloom and the fear of the unknown seemed evident. I connected more to Hoppers paintings during the pandemic where there was the need for isolation and less human interaction. The ideal way out of the gloom for me as an artist was to envision socialization and integration through my paintings which birthed a series of artworks titled “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” depicting mostly women juxtaposed together getting ready to party or have some form of social interaction ahead. Fixing my subjects in Hopper’s work dispelled the paradox of loneliness in urban life caused by wartime alienation as seen in the original painting. With hints of popular culture and consumerism (the Jordan brand), cinema and sex symbolism (Marlyn Monroe), globalization and migration (Queen Idia Ivory mask on the wall), voyeurism… to be continued. - John Madu
Parallels between Madu & Van Gogh
John Madu takes elements of European art history and blends them with everyday imagery from West Africa. His paintings forge connections across cultures and resonate with people all around the world. Madu was not only inspired by Van Gogh’s painting style, but also by his life:
I definitely see parallels between Van Gogh’s journey and my own, particularly in how we deal with loneliness. Making art can be a solitary pursuit, and there’s also the pressure of society’s expectations of what it means to be an artist. - John Madu
In his vivid paintings, Madu explores themes including identity, globalisation, and cultural cross-pollination.
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
The exhibition
No Food for Lazy Man II, 2025
Inspiration: Exterior of a Restaurant in Asnières, 1887
“The Exterior of a Resturant in Asniéres” by Van Gogh was one of the several paintings he created during his 3 month stay there from May to late July in 1887. He painted the exterior of restaurants, cafe’s, parks and landscapes, recording location and space. I found the intensity of the monochromatic yellow he colored the building interesting, its modernist construction, its composition in diagonals, and the bold cropping of the image. Vincent himself, who is the archetype migrant, made physical journeys to new places to find inspiration and create new body of work, inspired the character in my own version titled “No Food for Lazy Man” highlighting immigration and integration, which is a very important thematic concern in today’s world. - John Madu
Table no. 2 (Studio on University Road), 2025
Inspirations: Carafe and Dish with Citrus Fruit, 1887 & Flowering Plum Orchard (after Hiroshige), 1887
Self-Portraits and Skull III, 2025
Inspiration: Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat, 1887
Other artworks & quotes
