On the west side of the Museumplein, the Van Gogh Museum is a relatively recent addition, 1973 actually. Admission isn't cheap for adults at 13.50€, but they have child, student, and senior concessions. The museum does not allow picture-taking, which disappoints me.

The main collection originally belonged to Vincent's younger brother Theo van Gogh, and after passing through, Theo's widow and son became the nucleus of the Vincent van Gogh Foundation. The museum also holds works by other 19th-century artists who were contemporaries of the Van Gogh brothers. Some of these paintings are exhibited also. The Van Gogh collection is divided into five periods that correspond with different phases in Vincent's development.

After a couple hours of looking at hundreds of his paintings and reading the corresponding adulatory descriptions, I ask myself, "Is it possible to get too much of Vincent van Gogh?" I come close here.

Fortunately, I also visit the "Edouard Manet and the Sea" traveling exhibit, which includes other impressionists, like Pissaro, Monet, and Renoir, and this tempers the "van Goghness" considerably.

The whole time I am in the museum, I keep hearing Don McLean's "Vincent" (Starry, Starry Night) in my head. I can't stop it. The song has taken over my mind. I get some weird looks until I realize I'm humming it. I gotta get outta here. I do as soon as I collect my wife, Pam, and we realize that we both need a break. We are in what I call "cultural overload."

You can learn more about the museum and Vincent himself at http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/bisrd/top-1-2.html.

It is a four-story building that houses a lot of Van Gogh's work. It is all broken down into periods of his life, and this is reflected in his work.

It is a museum of most of Van Gogh and his influences' and students' works. It is not too great unless you love art. FYI, Starry Night is not in this museum. I was bored.

This is a smaller European museum, but it has recently been expanded, so it is very pretty. They have a nice collection of art in addition to a library, park area, audio, and video objects as supplements. They have handheld audio tours available as well. I found admission and the tour a little expensive. Overall, this is a great museum if you like art.

This is a big, bright, and well laid out museum that houses works of the most famous Dutch artist in history. There are four floors of exhibits, but Van Gogh's works are mostly on the second and third floors. The other floors showcase the works of other prominent artists of his time. When I visited last week, I had the privilege of viewing several pieces from Gougain.

My favorite thing about this museum was the study room and the second floor where you see the progression of the artist's work throughout his short life. A trip to the Van Gogh requires at least 2 hours if you want to get the most of the experience.