Van gogh’s “Tarascon Stagecoach” Makes West Coast Debut in Landmark LACMA Exhibition
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A rare and vibrant painting by Vincent van Gogh, Tarascon Stagecoach (October 1888), will be displayed at the Los angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) beginning February 22, 2026, marking its first-ever appearance on the West Coast. The exhibition, titled “Village Square: Gifts of Modern Art from the Pearlman Foundation,” celebrates a transformative donation that will reshape the collections of three major American museums.
A Generous Gift Transforms american Art Landscape
The exhibition centers around a landmark gift from the Henry and Rose pearlman Foundation, which is donating its entire 63-piece Impressionist collection to LACMA, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. This significant contribution promises to enrich the artistic offerings of each institution and provide new opportunities for scholarship and public engagement.
“Tarascon Stagecoach”: A Window into Van Gogh’s Arles Period
Tarascon Stagecoach is a notably significant work, painted during a period of intense creativity for Van Gogh while he resided in Arles, France. The painting depicts a bright yellow coach patiently awaiting passengers in the courtyard of an inn, a scene directly inspired by Alphonse Daudet’s satirical novel, Tartarin de Tarascon, which Van Gogh was reading at the time. The novel features a stagecoach reflecting on its past journeys,a theme subtly echoed in Van Gogh’s depiction.
A Journey Across continents and Through Private Collections
The painting’s history is as captivating as the artwork itself. After initially being in the possession of Parisian art dealer Père Tanguy and Italian sculptor medardo Rosso-who, according to reports, briefly concealed the painting after receiving criticism from peers-Tarascon Stagecoach made its way to South America, becoming the first van Gogh to cross the Atlantic. In 1950, New York businessman Henry Pearlman acquired the painting in a complex transaction involving cash, four other artworks, two paintings by Renoir, and a work by Soutine.
for decades, the painting remained part of the Pearlman collection, a testament to Henry Pearlman’s passion for Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. Pearlman, a self-made man who built a successful textile business, began collecting art in the 1940s, amassing a remarkable collection that he and his wife, Rose, generously shared through loans to museums. Following Henry Pearlman’s death in 1974, Rose continued to oversee the collection, further solidifying its importance within the art world.
The pearlman Foundation’s decision to donate the collection ensures its long-term preservation and accessibility to a wider audience. The foundation’s president, Irving Sandler, stated that the gift reflects the Pearlmans’ commitment to sharing their love of art with the public. The donation was finalized in 2023, after years of careful planning and negotiation with the three museums.
Following its exhibition at LACMA, Tarascon Stagecoach will travel to Brooklyn in autumn 2026 and then to MoMA in New york City in 2027, before ultimately returning to Los Angeles alongside six additional pieces from the Pearlman collection.
