In the heart of a Dutch forest, the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo is once again displaying the nearly complete collection of Vincent van Gogh paintings assembled by German heiress Helene Kröller-Müller. This marks the first time since 1984 that the full array of her Van Gogh works has been united in one exhibition, offering a comprehensive view of the artist’s progression and spiritual themes. The show, titled “Van Gogh: All Our Paintings,” runs through January 3.

Helene Kröller-Müller began her lifelong pursuit of collecting van Gogh’s art in 1908, at a time when the artist was not widely appreciated and often dismissed as mentally unstable. A wealthy industrialist’s daughter, she was among the earliest major collectors to recognize van Gogh’s talent and vision. In April 1912, during a visit to Paris, she acquired 15 of his works in a single day, including the notable “La Berceuse” (Portrait of Madame Augustine Roulin). Her accumulation became the second-largest collection of van Gogh paintings worldwide, second only to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

The exhibition is organized around three central themes—faith, hope, and love—reflecting Kröller-Müller’s interpretation of the spiritual dimension in van Gogh’s work. The collection includes some of his most celebrated pieces, such as “Café Terrace at Night,” “Portrait of Joseph Roulin,” and “The Sower,” all arranged to demonstrate the breadth of his artistic range across landscapes, portraits, and cityscapes.

Kröller-Müller’s dedication to collecting reflected more than a social pastime; it was driven by a profound personal and philosophical engagement with art. Influenced by the art historian Henk Bremmer, who emphasized the emotional and spiritual impact of art, she sought out pieces that resonated deeply with her. Van Gogh, once a preacher, appealed to her perception of art as a means to transcend suffering—a connection she valued deeply.

While many collectors in the Netherlands at the time focused on Old Masters and traditional Dutch painting, Kröller-Müller embraced modernist movements such as Cubism, Pointillism, and De Stijl. Her collection also includes works by Piet Mondrian, Fernand Léger, and Pablo Picasso, positioning van Gogh as a foundational figure in the emergence of avant-garde art.

In the late 1930s, facing declining health and financial challenges as Europe neared World War II, Kröller-Müller offered her collection and family estate in the Veluwe forest to the Dutch government. The arrangement included the construction of a museum and a 62-acre sculpture garden as a space dedicated to artistic and philosophical reflection. Today, that vision stands as a unique cultural institution set within a national park.

Unlike the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which derives from the artist’s family holdings, the Kröller-Müller Museum represents a collector’s deliberate and visionary assembly. “The Van Gogh Museum is just what was left over,” said Benno Tempel, the museum’s director. “This is a chosen collection.” The exhibition thus offers a rare opportunity to experience van Gogh’s oeuvre as seen through the eyes of one of his earliest champions.