Matthew Wong started drawing and painting in 2011, at the age of 27. Within the space of just a few years, he developed a highly personal style, using intense colours to paint imaginative landscapes. Van Gogh was a great source of inspiration for Wong. His influence is unmistakable, in terms of use of colour, the thickly applied brushwork and the personal themes in Wong’s work.

This exhibition explores the artistic and personal connection between the two artists in more detail. Wong saw his own life reflected in that of Van Gogh, and once said: ‘I see myself in him. The impossibility of belonging in this world.’

Last ResortVan Gogh and Wong both had a lengthy search to find their calling in life, which ultimately proved to be painting. Wong even saw it as his ‘last resort’. Both artists struggled with their mental health, resulting in tragic, untimely deaths. Although there are many similarities, each created a body of highly individual work that is highly personal and emotionally charged.

Unlike Van Gogh, Wong’s talent was more widely recognised during his short and tempestuous career. Barely five years after he made his first work, a renowned museum acquired a painting by Wong, and many notable collectors followed suit.

Matthew Wong | Vincent van Gogh: Painting as a Last Resort is the first retrospective of Wong’s work in Europe.