Van Gogh’s museum to sell 3D replicas

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS: The 3D replicas of Van Gogh's work, including Wheatfield under Thunderclouds, above, are almost indistinguishable from the originals, say museum curators, reports “Armenpress” making a reference on The Guardian.

A poster of one ofVan Gogh'ssunflowers is one of the traditional adornments to a student bedroom. The rest of us hang our reproductions in the knowledge that even the good ones are far from faithful to the originals – for which the going rate is £24m.

But not any more. The Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam has developed high-quality 3D reproductions of some of its finest paintings, with what it describes as the most advanced copying technique ever seen. Axel Rüger, the museum's director, said: "It really is the next generation of reproductions because they go into the third dimension. If you're a layman, they are pretty indistinguishable (from the originals). Of course, if you're a connoisseur and you look more closely, you can see the difference."

Each reproduction is priced £22,000 – somewhat more than the cost of a postcard or poster. But the museum is hoping to increase access to pictures which, if they were sold, would go for tens of millions of pounds to Russian oligarchs or American billionaires.

Othermuseumsare taking a close interest in the commercial potential of 3D, given that the Van Gogh museum expects to raise substantial funds from sales. The revenue will go towards planned renovations, as well as the preservation of a collection of 200 paintings, drawings and letters. Rüger said: "It is really fascinating to start an ambitious and commercial product of this kind. For museums, the financial situation is such that we all need to think about new products, new income streams, new business ideas to secure our finances."

The replicas, called Relievos, are being created by the museum in partnership with Fujifilm, with which it has had an exclusive deal for three years. Such is the complexity of the technology, known as Reliefography, that it has taken more than seven years to develop and only three a day can be made. It combines a 3D scan of the painting with a high-resolution print. The "super-accurate" reproduction even extends to the frame and the back of the painting. Every Relievo is numbered and approved by a museum curator. There is a limited edition of 260 copies per painting.