Tree Roots
Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Auvers-sur-Oise, July 1890
oil on canvas, 50.3 cm x 100.1 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
This painting seems at first sight to consist of a jumble of bright colours and fanciful abstract forms. Only after that do you realise that it shows a slope with tree trunks and roots. These are trees used for timber, growing in a marl quarry. Such quarries could be found around Auvers (FR). The work was not entirely completed. That explains its unfinished appearance. It is probably Van Gogh's very last painting. Andries Bonger, the brother-in-law of Vincent's brother Theo, described it in a letter: 'The morning before his death, he had painted a sous-bois [forest scene], full of sun and life.'
- F-number
- F0816
- JH-number
- JH2113
- Object number
- s0195V1962
- Dimensions
- 50.3 cm x 100.1 cm, 69.8 cm x 119.7 cm
- Provenance
- With his brother Theo van Gogh, Paris, after July 1890; after his death on 25 January 1891, inherited by his widow, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, and their son, Vincent Willem van Gogh, Paris; administered until her death on 2 September 1925 by Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Bussum/Amsterdam/Laren; given on loan by Vincent Willem van Gogh, Laren to the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, since 20 January 1931; transferred by Vincent Willem van Gogh on 10 July 1962 to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation, Amsterdam; agreement concluded between the Vincent van Gogh Foundation and the State of the Netherlands, in which the preservation and management of the collection, and its placing in the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, to be realized in Amsterdam, is entrusted to the State, 21 July 1962; 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, Etel Adnan - Van Gogh, 20 May-4 September 2022
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh, Rousseau, Corot: in het bos, 7 July-10 September 2017
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, De waanzin nabij. Van Gogh en zijn ziekte, 15 July-25 September 2016
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh aan het werk, 1 May 2013-13 January 2014
Amsterdam, Hermitage Amsterdam, Vincent. Het Van Gogh Museum in de Hermitage Amsterdam, 29 September 2012-25 April 2013
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Goghs brieven. De kunstenaar aan het woord, 9 October 2009-3 January 2010
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Gogh Modern. Vincent van Gogh en de hedendaagse kunst, 27 June-12 October 2003, no. zonder nr.
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Van Gogh te gast in het Rijksmuseum. Meesterwerken van het Van Gogh Museum, 19 September 1998-2 May 1999
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Japan : Van Gogh's Utopia, 7 June-22 September 1991
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, De schilders van Tachtig. Nederlandse schilderkunst 1880-1895, 1 March-26 May 1991
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh. Schilderijen, 30 March-29 July 1990, no. 133
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Van Gogh in St. Rémy and Auvers, 12 November 1986-22 March 1987, no. 88
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Van Gogh en zijn Franse vrienden. Het cloisonisme als stijl 1886-1891, 9 April-14 June 1981
Toronto, Art Gallery of Ontario, Vincent van Gogh and the Birth of Cloisonism, 24 January-22 March 1981
Bern, Kunstmuseum Bern, Vincent van Gogh. Collection du Musée National Vincent van Gogh à Amsterdam, 25 January-15 April 1973, no. 45
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
Paris, Orangerie des Tuileries, Vincent van Gogh. Collection du Musée National Vincent van Gogh à Amsterdam, 21 December 1971-10 April 1972, no. 109
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 150 jaar Nederlandse kunst. Schilderijen, beelden, tekeningen, grafiek 1813-1963, 6 July-29 September 1963
Toledo (Ohio), Toledo Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890, 7 March-30 April 1954, no. 171
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Philadelphia Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890, 2 January-28 February 1954, no. 171
Saint Louis, City Art Museum of Saint Louis, Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890, 17 October-13 December 1953, no. 171
Grenoble, Musée de Grenoble, Vincent van Gogh, 30 March-2 May 1951
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Vincent van Gogh. Werken uit de verzameling van Ir. V.W. van Gogh, in bruikleen afgestaan aan de Gemeente Amsterdam, 14 February 1931-1931
Utrecht, Vereeniging Voor de Kunst, Tentoonstelling van schilderijen door Vincent van Gogh, 1 May-5 June 1929
Vienna, Galerie Miethke, Vincent van Gogh. Kollektiv, 6-30 January 1906
Berlin, Kunstsalon Paul Cassirer, Collectiv-Ausstellung, 10-28 December 1905
Dresden, Kunstsalon Ernst Arnold, II. Ausstellung. Vincent van Gogh, Constantin Guys, 26 October-11 November 1905
Hamburg, Kunstsalon Cassirer Hamburg, I. Ausstellung, 16 September-October 1905
Furuta, H., "Daubigny's garden" by Vincent van Gogh, 2010, p. 65
Bertling Biaggini, Claudia, Alberto Giacometti & Vincent van Gogh : durch Finsternis ins Licht, 2019, p. 77
Stein, Susan Alyson, Miller, Asher Ethan, Bailey, Colin B., The Annenberg Collection : masterpieces of impressionism and post-impressionism, 2009, p. 233, 235
Veen, Wouter van der, Attacked at the very root : an investigation into Van Gogh's last days, 2020, p. 42, 59-68, 75-112, 126-127
Bremen-Ito, K. van, Gulik, W.R. van, Kodera, Tsukasa, Rappard-Boon, C. van, Catalogue of the Van Gogh Museum's collection of Japanese prints, 1991, p. 44
Steenhoff, W.J., Catalogus Vincent van Gogh : werken uit de verzameling van Ir. V.W. van Gogh, in bruikleen afgestaan aan de Gemeente Amsterdam, 1931, p. 37
Hulsker, Jan, The complete works of Vincent van Gogh, 1978, vol. 2, pl. 266
Nelemans, Rebecca, Een zoektocht naar de ziel = A quest for the soul, p. 16-17
Hendriks, Ella, Johnson jr., C. Richard, Loeff, Luuk van der, First international workshop on image processing for artist identification, 2007, p. 35, 77, 98
Hartog Jager, Hans den, Hockney - Van Gogh : the joy of nature, 2019, p. 76-77
Guzzoni, Mariella, In viaggio con Vincent, 2010
Bremen-Ito, K. van, Gulik, W.R. van, Kodera, Tsukasa, Rappard-Boon, C. van, Japanese prints : catalogue of the Van Gogh Museum's collection, 2006, p. 41, 44
Arenberg, I. Kaufman, Killing Vincent : the man, the myth, and the murder, 2018, p. 125
Darley, Esther, Suijver, Renske, Masterpieces in the Van Gogh Museum, 2019, p. 154-155
Darley, Esther, Suijver, Renske, Meesterwerken in het Van Gogh Museum, 2019, p. 154-155
Reynaerts, Jenny, Mirror of reality : 19th-century painting in the Netherlands, 2019, p. 336, 341
Brugger, Ingried, Steininger, F., Meinhart, J., Monet - Kandinsky - Rothko und die Folgen : Wege der abstrakten Malerei, 2008, p. 103
Hulsker, Jan, The new complete Van Gogh : paintings, drawings, sketches, 1996, p. 476, 480
Bakker, Nienke, Tilborgh, Louis van, Prins, Laura, On the verge of insanity : Van Gogh and his illness, 2016, p. 84-85
Uitert, Evert van, Hoyle, Michael, Crimpen, Han van, The Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, 1987, p. 286-287, 350
Bionda, Richard W.A., Blotkamp, Carel, De schilders van Tachtig : nederlandse schilderkunst 1880-1895, 1991, p. 172
Reynaerts, Jenny, Spiegel van de werkelijkheid : 19de-eeuwse schilderkunst in Nederland, 2019, p. 336, 341
Coyle, Laura, The Still-life paintings of Vincent van Gogh and their context, 2007, p. 485, 575
Maes, B., Tilborgh, Louis van, Van Gogh's 'Tree roots' up close, p. 54-71
Hendriks, Ella, Geldof, Muriel, Van Gogh's Antwerp and Paris picture supports (1885-1888) reconstructing choices, p. 73
Vellekoop, Marije, Hendriks, Ella, Jansen, Leo, Meedendorp, Teio, Bakker, Nienke, Dijk, Maite van, Van Gogh's studio practice, 2013, p. 173, 175-178, 184, 194, 242, 247, 250, 262, 264, 275, 281
Stein, Susan Alyson, Van Gogh : a retrospective, 1986, p. 365
Homburg, Cornelia, Kienle, Anabelle, Rishel, Joseph .J., Thompson, J.A., Balaram, R., Paulson, N.C., Pohlmann, Ulrich, Van Gogh : de près, 2012, p. 32, 35, 72, 270
Homburg, Cornelia, Kelly, Simon, Prins, Laura, Reynaerts, Jenny, Van Gogh : into the undergrowth, 2016, p. 54-55
Homburg, Cornelia, Kienle, Anabelle, Rishel, Joseph .J., Thompson, J.A., Balaram, R., Paulson, N.C., Pohlmann, Ulrich, Van Gogh : up close, 2012, p. 32, 71, 270
Vellekoop, Marije, Bakker, Nienke, Dijk, Maite van, Hendriks, Ella, Van Gogh aan het werk, 2013, p. 216
Bakker, Nienke, Van Gogh aan het werk : hoogtepunten, 2013, p. 38-39
Vellekoop, Marije, Bakker, Nienke, Dijk, Maite van, Geldof, Muriel, Hendriks, Ella, Reissland, Birgit, Van Gogh at work, 2019, p. 216
Veen, Wouter van der, Knapp, P., Van Gogh in Auvers : his last days, 2010, p. 164-165, 205, 242, 244-245, 300
Pickvance, Ronald, Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy and Auvers, 1986, p. 282
Leeuw, Ronald de, Van Gogh Museum : schilderijen en pastels, 1993, p. 239
Jansen, Leo, Suijver, Renske, Blokland, Ann, Vincent, 2012, p. 64-65
Feilchenfeldt, Walter, Jr., Vincent van Gogh : Die Gemälde 1886-1890 : Händler, Sammler, Ausstellungen : Die Frühen Provenienzen, 2009, p. 261
Feilchenfeldt, Walter, Jr., Vincent van Gogh : die Gemälde 1886-1890 : Händler, Sammler, Ausstellungen : die Frühen Provenienzen, 2009, p. 261
Feilchenfeldt, Walter, Jr., Vincent van Gogh : the years in France : complete paintings 1886-1890 : dealers, collectors, exhibitions, provenance, 2013, p. 263
Veen, Wouter van der, Knapp, P., Vincent van Gogh à Auvers, 2009, p. 205, 242, 244-245, 300
Welsh-Ovcharov, Bogomila, Vincent van Gogh and the birth of Cloisonism, 1981, p. 162
Blotkamp, Carel, Vincent van Gogh between earth and heaven : the landscapes, 2009, p. 94, 113-114, 270
Blotkamp, Carel, Vincent van Gogh entre terre et ciel : les paysages, 2009, p. 94, 113-114, 270
Blotkamp, Carel, Vincent van Gogh zwischen Erde und Himmel : die Landschaften, 2009, p. 94, 113-114, 270
Bakker, Nienke, Tilborgh, Louis van, Prins, Laura, De waanzin nabij : Van Gogh en zijn ziekte, 2016, p. 84-85
Faille, Jacob Baart de la, Gelder, Jan Gerrit van, Hammacher, A.M., The works of Vincent van Gogh : his paintings and drawings, 1970, p. 307, 643
Nolen, Willem, Meekeren, E. van, Voskuil, Piet, Tilburg, Willem van, New vision on the mental problems of Vincent Van Gogh; Results from a bottom-up approach using (semi-)structured diagnostic interviews, z.p.
Bailey, Martin, Van Gogh's finale : Auvers and the artist's rise to fame, 2021, p. 107-108, 110, 113-115
Hofstra, Feikje Wimmie, De Haagse streken van Vincent van Gogh 30-03-1953 - 29-07-1890, 2019, p. 18-20, 119-120
Hofstra, Feikje Wimmie, Experience Vincent van Gogh in The Hague 30-03-1853 - 29-07-1890, 2019, p. 18-20
Tas, Sara, Fattal, Simone, Etel Adnan / Vincent Van Gogh : colour as language = Etel Adnan / Vincent Van Gogh : kleur als taal, 2022, p.p. 20, 60-61
Search in the collection
Van Gogh in Auvers
Tree Roots is on display in this exhibition.
The Place Where Van Gogh Painted His Last Masterpiece
In 2020 a postcard was discovered that indicated the plausible location of Tree Roots.
Historical Photograph Confirms Exact Location ‘Tree Roots’
A recently uncovered historical photograph confirms the exact location of Vincent van Gogh's last painting Tree Roots.