From 20 February to 7 June 2026, The Mesdag Collection in The Hague presents Isaac Israëls. Captivated by Van Gogh. This exhibition focuses on paintings by Isaac Israëls (1865–1934) in which iconic paintings by Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) feature in the background.
Central to the exhibition is the special relationship between Israëls and Jo van Gogh-Bonger (1862–1925), Vincent van Gogh’s sister-in-law and the guardian of his artistic legacy. Isaac Israëls. Captivated by Van Gogh brings together ten paintings by Israëls featuring works by Van Gogh in the background, drawn from Dutch museum and private collections. All these works are now on display in the city where he painted them, in his studio at Koninginnegracht 2.
These works are exhibited alongside the portraits Israëls made of Van Gogh-Bonger and her son Vincent, as well as Israëls’ letters to Van Gogh-Bonger and her diary, all of which give insight into their close and personal relationship.
Israëls was a prominent painter with strong roots in The Hague. At the age of thirteen, he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Art. His career initially developed within the tradition of the Hague School, and later that of Impressionism.
In 1881, aged just sixteen, Israëls made his debut at the Exhibition of Living Masters in The Hague with the painting Practising the Signal. Before it was even completed, the work was purchased by Hendrik Willem Mesdag and added to the collection of the Mesdag-van Houtens, likely influenced by the fact that he was the son of their close friend, the artist Jozef Israëls.
Isaac Israëls. Captivated by Van Gogh is based on research into Israëls’ letters to Van Gogh-Bonger conducted by Hans Luijten, researcher at the Van Gogh Museum. Luijten is the biographer of Jo van Gogh-Bonger, and previously published a digital edition of her diaries. His edited edition of Isaac’s letters to Jo is now available at Israelsletters.org, and was produced in collaboration with the Huygens Institute for Dutch history and culture.
Isaac Israëls, Woman Standing in Front of Van Gogh's Sunflowers, 1915-1920, oil on canvas, 70.5 cm x 50.5 cm, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Isaac Israëls, Practising the Signal, 1881
Isaac Israëls, Portrait of Vincent Willem van Gogh, 1894, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Isaac Israëls, Prof. dr. mr. Isaac Bennie Cohen and his wife Jacqueline Wilhelmine Longépée, 1915-1916. oil on canvas, 94 × 114 cm, private collection
Isaac Israëls, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, 1895, 15,1 x 12 cm. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
