Vincent Van Gogh’s life has been turned into a “multisensory experience”.

The Dutch painter famously cut off his own ear and died penniless in 1890 but his work now fetches eye-watering sums.

Following “in the footsteps” of the artist, the Meet Vincent Van Gogh Experience is opening on London’s South Bank.

Featuring the Van Gogh Museum’s collection of the painter’s personal letters, it will “recreate” his “life in his own words”.

The museum said that much of Van Gogh’s art is unable to tour because it is so fragile.

It wants to make the “artist’s life and works accessible to a global audience”.

The interactive display, which previously opened in Spain and Korea, features projections, installations, set-work and a “compelling narrative”.

It will cover Van Gogh’s childhood in the Netherlands, his life in Paris, the Arles countryside, his asylum in St Remy, the wheat field where he fatally shot himself, and the way he has inspired others.

The artist lived for a period in Brixton, south London, and the inspiration he drew from the capital was the subject of a recent show at Tate Britain.

– The Meet Vincent Van Gogh Experience opens at Upper Ground, on London’s South Bank, on Friday and runs until May 21.