Beyond the Frame: Inside the Immersive Worlds of Van Gogh and Monet

 By Avery Anderson

It’s one thing to stand in front of Van Gogh’s Starry Night. It’s another to feel it ripple beneath your feet, swirl across the walls, and pulse in time with a cinematic score. Starting August 1, visitors to the Straz Center will be able to do just that as Beyond Van Gogh and Beyond Monet: The Immersive Experience takes over Morsani Hall.

Running through September 14, the dual exhibition blends projection mapping, music, and storytelling to plunge audiences into the luminous palettes and layered brushwork of two of the most beloved artists in Western art history. It’s a sensory shift from the hushed reverence of a museum to something more kinetic, emotional—and for many, more accessible.

“You literally set foot into these artists’ worlds,” said Fanny Curtat, the art historian and consultant behind the project. “The entire space—walls, floor, everything—is covered in projections. You’re not just looking at the work. You’re inside it.”

For longtime art lovers, it’s a dream realized. “This kind of experience is really a fantasy,” Curtat said. “It’s a fantasy for people who already love these paintings—because you get to step into them. And for people who maybe feel intimidated by museums, it’s a whole new way in.”

A New Way to See

Curtat worked alongside creative studio Normal Studio and producers Paquin Entertainment Group to bring the vision to life. Together, they translated hundreds of two-dimensional masterpieces into a four-dimensional experience, complete with movement, sound, and narrative structure. The result: two distinct, 35-minute journeys through the minds and legacies of Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.

The immersive format plays to each artist’s strengths. Van Gogh’s thick impasto brushstrokes, swirling skies, and vivid colors feel as if they were designed for animation. Monet’s shifting light and dreamy water scenes expand to room-size scale, wrapping viewers in a meditative wash of color and motion.

Don’t Miss These Moments

Curtat shared two key moments that capture the spirit of the experience—and the emotional heart of each artist.

For Van Gogh, it’s the Almond Blossom scene. “That painting encapsulates what we mean when we say his work is about joy,” she said. Created as a gift to his brother Theo upon the birth of his son, the delicate Japanese-inspired blossoms reflect love, hope, and renewal. “It’s a moment of pure celebration—and you feel that in the room.”

For Monet, Curtat points to what the team calls the “radical scene,” where the artist’s own words go head-to-head with scathing 19th-century art criticism. “We forget how revolutionary these paintings were,” she said. “Monet wasn’t just painting flowers—he was fighting for his place in the art world.” The scene uses layered quotes, projections, and music to dramatize that battle, reminding audiences that beauty was once seen as rebellion.

Art That Comes to You

The exhibit is not a substitute for seeing the real thing—nor does it pretend to be. Instead, it builds on the emotional resonance of the original works, using scale and animation to provoke awe. Viewers don’t just gaze at the paintings—they’re surrounded by them.

Monet, Curtat noted, was already thinking immersively by the end of his life. His final Water Lilies installation in Paris was specifically designed as an enveloping, frame-free, light-filled environment. “He literally used the French word for immersion,” she said.

And for those who don’t frequent museums, Curtat believes this kind of experience lowers the barrier to entry. “It’s not about needing to read 100 books to understand art,” she said. “It’s about being in the space, letting it move through you. The artwork is coming halfway to meet you.”

Know Before You Go

Beyond Van Gogh and Beyond Monet opens Friday, August 1 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and runs through September 14. Showtimes begin every 45 minutes, with tickets starting at $42.75. Visitors can expect a 35-minute multisensory experience—one that feels more like a dream than a museum tour.

Tickets are available at strazcenter.org, by phone at 813.229.7827, or at the box office.

As Curtat puts it, “This is a fantasy. It’s about capturing beauty—at any cost.”