The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam announced on Saturday that it had to stop the distribution of a limited series Pokemon card bearing the painter’s image, which triggered a frenzy of speculation, with resales at exorbitant prices, and disrupted its peace.
Launched with great fanfare in September to mark the museum’s 50th anniversary, the collaboration with Pokemon was intended to appeal to a young audience and included exhibitions showing the links between the work of Vincent Van Gogh and “Japanese art and culture.” .
Restoring calm at the museum
But the operation attracted fans of Pokemon card games desperate to get their hands on the limited edition “Pika-portrait” card, which shows the character Pikachu wearing a gray felt hat in a pose inspired by a famous self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh. The card was distributed after a treasure hunt organized in the museum rooms for young visitors.
“Recently, a small group of individuals created an unwanted situation that led us to make the difficult decision to remove the Pikachu with the Gray Felt Hat promotional card from the museum,” the museum said in a statement. This decision was taken to allow visitors to explore the exhibition “in a safe and pleasant manner” and ensure the safety of staff, the institution added.
The card on sale on Pokemon sites
The frenzy triggered by this card caused stampedes at the museum, with Pokemon card fans rushing in uncontrolled order to get their hands on the highly coveted items, according to videos posted on social media by visitors.
With cards in limited supply, avid collectors are willing to pay huge sums for them, and speculators have sought to obtain as many as possible to resell online. “Pikachu in the Gray Felt Hat” changed hands for hundreds of dollars, with one of the cards even going on eBay for the astronomical sum of $6,969.
British, American and Canadian fans of the Japanese franchise will have a new chance to obtain this exclusive card on Pokemon sites, the museum said. Dutch stores will sell it again early next year, but not the Van Gogh Museum, the statement said.