From the museum website
Alongside drawings on actual drawing paper Van Gogh also scribbled sketches on all kinds of less obvious surfaces. Sometimes he might draw on the back of an envelope, the endpaper of his sketchbook, on the back of a painting and on the reverse of the sheets of paper on which he pasted illustrations cut from magazines. This presentation brings these drawings together for the first time.
Also on display are a number of Van Gogh’s sketchbooks as well as several letters with sketches he sent to his brother Theo and others. These sketches, which Van Gogh referred to as ‘scribbles’, served to show the recipient of the letter the work Van Gogh was busy with, or as an illustration of the materials he was using.
Because of their sensitivity to light, sketches and drawings are seldom on show to the public. This presentation offers a unique opportunity to discover this lesser known aspect of Van Gogh’s work.