UK Van Gogh projection premiere opens in York

Charlotte Graham  Van Gogh projections in YorkCharlotte Graham
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience got under way earlier

The UK premiere of a projection display featuring the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh has opened after "technical glitches" were resolved.

The exhibition, at St Mary's Church in York, was due to start on Friday, but was delayed due to problems with the projection equipment.

The 360-degree projection tells the story of the Dutch 19th Century post-impressionist artist and his work.

It features over 200 works projected on to walls, floors and ceilings.

Charlotte Graham  Van Gogh projections in YorkCharlotte Graham
Walls, floors and ceilings are used as a canvas for the projections

York is the third city to host the event after runs in Naples and Brussels.

Talking about the attraction, creative director Mario Iacampo said: "We designed the exhibition specifically to work best in old church buildings, where the high ceilings facilitate large-scale projection, and the stone walls become part of the canvas."

However, he said the opening in York was delayed due to issues with some of the "cutting edge technology" used to project the images onto the walls.

Charlotte Graham  Van Gogh projections in YorkCharlotte Graham
The projection will be at St Mary's Church in York until January

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, which is a paid attraction, runs until January.

The display features some of Van Gogh's best-known works, including 1889's The Starry Night.

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Vincent Van Gogh

  • Born in 1853 in the Dutch village of Zundert
  • Worked as an art dealer and took up painting himself in his 20s but struggled to sell his art
  • Cut off his own ear in 1888 and died from a gunshot wound in July 1890 in an apparent suicide
  • Produced more than 2,000 artworks including about 850 oil paintings
  • In the 20th Century he became regarded as one of the most influential figures in Western art
  • The auction record for a Van Gogh painting stands at $148.9m (£95m) for Portrait of Dr Gachet, which was sold in 1990
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