London art gallery removes van Gogh souvenirs belittling mental health

A London art gallery recently faced criticism for mocking mental health by selling souvenirs with blatant references to artist Vincent Van Gogh and his difficult life.

Many people throughout the world are familiar with the story of how van Gogh lost his left ear. The artist got into an argument with fellow artist Paul Gauguin. After that, he cut off his ear and became known as the ‘tortured artist.’

The Courtauld Gallery in London came under fire for displaying Van Gogh souvenirs. It included the famed self-portrait of the artist with a bandaged ear, among other works. The souvenirs were likewise a part of a show featuring some of the artist’s most well-known works.

As per the CNN story, the gallery picked socks, scarves, jigsaws, postcards, and also print mementos of Van Gogh’s famous paintings as souvenirs. However, it has now removed several trinkets from its gift shop after facing criticism on social media for being disrespectful.

Never the intention

The gallery published a statement to CNN recognizing “concerns raised about a small number of items available in The Courtauld Gallery’s shop and online store,” according to reports.

“The Courtauld takes mental health extremely seriously. It was never The Courtauld’s intention to present an insensitive or dismissive attitude to this important subject by stocking these items,” the statement read, as mentioned in the report.

“The items in question form a small fraction of those made available as part of the exhibition collection. In light of these concerns, the items will no longer be sold in our stores,” it continued.

Previously, critics have attacked the gallery for attempting to exploit mental health by downplaying the artist’s troubles throughout his lifetime. It ultimately led to his death by suicide at the age of 37 in 1890.

“Mental illness is not a joke”

A bar of soap had the tagline as “ideal for a tortured artist who enjoys fluffy bubbles”. An “emotional first aid kit” turned into “a box of wise emergency advice for 20 key psychological situations”. These were among the items on sale.

“Suicide is not a joke, and mental illness is not a joke,” Charles Thomson, co-founder of the Stuckist group of artists, also said to the Daily Mail. “This is shallow, nasty, and insensitive. What next? Van Gogh’s suicide pistol?”

Art critic David Lee is the editor of The Jackdaw magazine. He was also quoted as saying, “I can’t believe this isn’t someone in marketing’s attempt at tasteless humor in the pub after work. Would they, for example, be prepared to sell pencils in the shape of a false leg at a Frida Kahlo exhibition?”  Kahlo, a Mexican artist, had a leg amputated due to gangrene.

The exhibition ‘Van Gogh. Self-portraits’ are on display at the gallery until May 2022.

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