Pollard Birches
Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Nuenen, March 1884
pencil, pen and ink, watercolour, on paper, 39.5 cm x 54.2 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Van Gogh loved pollard trees with their gnarled trunks. They feature prominently in many of his paintings and drawings, including this one. In a letter to his brother Theo, he compared a row of pollard trees to a 'procession of orphan men'. What he meant was that nature had a soul of its own.
This work is part of a series of seven pen and ink drawings of Brabant landscapes from 1884. The compositions are compelling. The way he drew it, with a great deal of hatching, shows his individual style. The drawings form a high point of Van Gogh's work in the Netherlands.
- F-number
- F1240
- JH-number
- JH0469
- Object number
- d0364V1968
- Dimensions
- 39.5 cm x 54.2 cm
- Provenance
- With his brother Theo van Gogh, Parijs, after March 1884; after his death on 25 January 1891, inherited by his widow, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, and their son, Vincent Willem van Gogh, Paris; probably given by Jo van Gogh-Bonger to her sister-in-law Anna van Houten-van Gogh, Dieren, after 1891; after her death on 20 September 1930 inherited by a family friend H.J. Calkoen, Velsen; sold by H.J. Calkoen to the Theo van Gogh Foundation, Laren, 1963; transferred to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation, Amsterdam, 1968; given on loan until the opening of the museum on 2 June 1973 to the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; on permanent loan to the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh from 2 June 1973 and at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, since 1 July 1994.
- artist
- Vincent van Gogh
- Credits (obliged to state)
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Ongekend. Verhalen rond 10 jaar aanwinsten, 5 February 2021 - 12 September 2021
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Munch : Van Gogh, 24 September 2015 - 17 January 2016
Oslo, Munch Museum, Van Gogh + Munch, 9 May 2015 - 6 September 2015
Maastricht, MECC, Van Gogh's drawings. Masterpieces from the Van Gogh Museum, 15 March 2013 - 24 March 2013
Vienna, Albertina, Vincent van Gogh. Gezeichnete Bilder, 4 September 2008 - 7 December 2008, no. 20
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh. The Drawings, 12 October 2005 - 31 December 2005, no. 19
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh tekenaar. De meesterwerken, 2 July 2005 - 18 September 2005, no. 19
Tokyo, Seiji Togo Memorial Yasuda Kasai Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh drawing exhibition. Van Gogh and his time from the Van Gogh Museum and the H.W. Mesdag Museum, 14 September 2000 - 13 November 2000, no. 12
Tokyo, Tobu Museum of Art, A Hawaii Treasury: masterpieces from the Honolulu Academy of Arts, 13 March 2000 - 21 May 2000, no. 12
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Vincent van Gogh tekeningen. Nuenen 1883-1885, 20 June 1997 - 12 October 1997, no. zonder nr.
Otterlo, Kröller-Müller Museum, Vincent van Gogh. Tekeningen, 30 March 1990 - 29 July 1990, no. 94
Den Bosch, Noordbrabants Museum, Van Gogh in Brabant. Schilderijen en tekeningen uit Etten en Nuenen, 2 November 1987 - 10 January 1988, no. 73
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh in zijn Hollandse jaren. Kijk op stad en land door Van Gogh en zijn tijdgenoten 1870-1890, 13 December 1980 - 22 March 1981, no. 139
Oslo, Munch Museet, Vincent van Gogh, 5 April 1976 - 15 June 1976, no. 23
Stockholm, Kulturhuset, Vincent van Gogh, 10 February 1976 - 28 March 1976, no. 23
Malmö, Malmö Konsthall, Vincent van Gogh. 100 teckningar och akvareller. 100 drawings and water colours, 6 June 1975 - 10 August 1975, no. 23
Florence, Palazzo Strozzi, Quarta biennale internazionale della grafica d'arte. La grafica dal realismo al simbolismo, 11 May 1974 - 30 June 1974, no. 11
Bern, Kunstmuseum Bern, Vincent van Gogh. Collection du Musée National Vincent van Gogh à Amsterdam, 25 January 1973 - 15 April 1973, no. 53
Strasbourg, Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain Strasbourg, Vincent van Gogh. Collection du Musée National Vincent van Gogh à Amsterdam, 22 October 1972 - 15 January 1973, no. 53
Paris, Orangerie des Tuileries, Vincent van Gogh. Collection du Musée National Vincent van Gogh à Amsterdam, 21 December 1971 - 10 April 1972
New York, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, 14 February 1971 - 4 April 1971, no. 76
San Francisco, M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, 11 December 1970 - 31 January 1971, no. 76
Baltimore, Baltimore Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, 11 October 1970 - 29 November 1970, no. 76
Columbus (Ohio), Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, 5 March 1970 - 5 April 1970, no. 8
Saint Louis, City Art Museum of Saint Louis, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, 20 December 1969 - 1 February 1970, no. 76
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, 14 October 1969 - 1 December 1969, no. 76
London, Hayward Gallery, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings of the Vincent van Gogh Foundation Amsterdam, 23 October 1968 - 12 January 1969, no. 23
Ottawa, National Gallery of Canada, Vincent van Gogh. Drawings, Watercolors, 14 March 1968 - 15 April 1968, no. 20
Liege, Musée des Beaux-Arts (Liège), Vincent van Gogh. Dessins, aquarelles, 3 March 1968 - 30 September 1968, no. 20
Toledo (Ohio), Toledo Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh. Drawings, Watercolors, 20 January 1968 - 3 March 1968, no. 20
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Philadelphia Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh. Drawings, Watercolors, 17 November 1967 - 31 December 1967, no. 20
Dallas Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh. Drawings, Watercolors, 6 October 1967 - 4 November 1967, no. 20
Zurich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Vincent van Gogh. Dessins, aquarelles, 5 April 1967 - 4 June 1967, no. 23
Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts (Lille), Vincent van Gogh. Dessins, aquarelles, 14 January 1967 - 13 March 1967, no. 23
Albi, Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent van Gogh. Dessinateur, 27 May 1966 - 31 August 1966, no. 22
Paris, Institut Néerlandais, Vincent van Gogh. Dessinateur, 28 January 1966 - 20 March 1966, no. 22
Nuenen, Gemeentehuis, Vincent van Gogh. Schilderijen, aquarellen, tekeningen, 8 August 1965 - 31 May 1965, no. zonder nr.
Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Gent), Vincent van Gogh. Schilderijen, aquarellen, tekeningen, 19 February 1965 - 28 March 1965, no. 51
Charleroi, Palais des Beaux-Arts (Charleroi), Vincent van Gogh. Schilderijen, aquarellen, tekeningen, 9 January 1965 - 9 February 1965, no. 51
New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings, 2 April 1964 - 28 June 1964, no. 77
Washington, Washington Gallery of Modern Art, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings, 2 February 1964 - 19 March 1964, no. 77
Humlebaek, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Vincent van Gogh. Malerier og tegninger, 24 October 1963 - 15 December 1963, no. 77
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 150 jaar Nederlandse kunst. Schilderijen, beelden, tekeningen, grafiek 1813-1963, 6 July 1963 - 29 September 1963, no. 95
Amsterdam, Rijksprentenkabinet Amsterdam, Van Hieronymus Bosch tot Vincent van Gogh. Vijf eeuwen tekenkunst, 23 May 1959 - 21 May 1959, no. 145
Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, Dutch Drawings. Masterpieces of Five Centuries, 2 April 1959 - 27 April 1959, no. 145
Washington, National Gallery of Art, Dutch Drawings. Masterpieces of Five Centuries, 5 October 1958 - 26 October 1958, no. 145
New York, The Pierpont Morgan Library, Dutch Drawings. Masterpieces of Five Centuries, 1 January 1958 - 1 January 1959, no. 145
Boston, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Dutch Drawings. Masterpieces of Five Centuries, 1 January 1958 - 1 January 1959, no. 145
Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, Dutch Drawings. Masterpieces of Five Centuries, 1 January 1958 - 1 January 1959, no. 145
Minneapolis, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Dutch Drawings. Masterpieces of Five Centuries, 1 January 1958 - 1 January 1959, no. 145
Leiden, Museum De Lakenhal, Teekeningen van Vincent van Gogh, 25 April 1893 - 1 May 1893
Ed. by Timothy J. Standring, Louis van Tilborgh ; with essays by Simon Kelly, Richard Kendall, Teio Meedendorp ... [et al.] ; with a contribution by Alisia Robin Coon, Becoming van Gogh, 2012, p. 50
Text: Esther Darley, Renske Suijver, Masterpieces in the Van Gogh Museum, 2019, p. 41
Tekst: Esther Darley, Renske Suijver, Meesterwerken in het Van Gogh Museum, 2019, p. 41
Onder red. van Maite van Dijk, Magne Bruteig en Leo Jansen ; met bijdragen van Reinhold Heller, Jill Lloyd, Uwe M. Schneede ... [et al.], Munch : Van Gogh, 2015, p. 180-181
Ed. by E. van Uitert and M. Hoyle; with contrib. from H. van Crimpen ... [et al.], The Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, 1987, p. 404
Marieke Jooren, Van Gogh's drawings : masterpieces from the Van Gogh Museum, p. 28-29
Hrsg. von Klaus Albrecht Schröder, Heinz Widauer, Sjraar van Heugten, ... [et al.] ; mit einer Einführung von Klaus Albrecht Schröder ; mit Beitr. von Martin Bailey, Sjraar van Heugten, Fred Leeman ... [et al.], Van Gogh : gezeichnete Bilder, 2008, p. 158-161
Ed. by Klaus Albrecht Schröder, Heinz Widauer, Sjraar van Heugten, ... [et al.] ; with an introd. by Klaus Albrecht Schröder ; with essays by Martin Bailey, Sjraar van Heugten, Fred Leeman, Teio Meedendorp, Marije Vellekoop, Heinz Widauer, Van Gogh : heartfelt lines, 2008, p. 158-161
Richard Kendall, Sjraar van Heugten, Chris Stolwijk, Van Gogh and nature, 2015, p. 52-53
Evert van Uitert ... [et al.], Van Gogh in Brabant : schilderijen en tekeningen uit Etten en Nuenen, cop. 1987, p. 204
Sjraar van Heugten; m.m.v. Marije Vellekoop en Roelie Zwikker, Van Gogh tekenaar : de meesterwerken, 2016, p. 57, 61, 186
Préface Albert Chatelet ; V.W. van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh : dessins - aquarelles, [unpaged]
Johannes van der Wolk, Ronald Pickvance, E.B.F. Pey, Vincent van Gogh : tekeningen, 1990, p. 151
Sjraar van Heugten, Vincent van Gogh drawings : volume 2 : Nuenen 1883-1885 : Van Gogh Museum, 1997, p. 87-89
Sjraar van Heugten, Vincent van Gogh tekeningen : Nuenen 1883-1885 : Van Gogh Museum : 2, 1997, p. 87-89