Vincent van Gogh Painting Sunflowers
Currently on view
Paul Gauguin (1848 - 1903), Arles, 1888
oil on canvas, 73 cm x 91 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Was Van Gogh really painting a vase of sunflowers when his friend Gauguin produced this portrait of him? No, he can’t have been: it was December and far too late in the year for sunflowers. But it’s quite probable that Van Gogh painted a copy of one of his own sunflower pictures around this time. The landscape in the background is also fictional: unlike Van Gogh, Gauguin liked to work from his imagination. They often argued about this. This painting refers to their disagreement.
Later, Van Gogh wrote about this portrait: ‘My face has lit up a lot since, but it was indeed me, extremely tired and charged with electricity as I was then.’
- Object number
- s0225V1962
- Dimensions
- 73 cm x 91 cm, 91.2 cm x 109.7 cm, 6.8 cm x 205 cm, 142 cm x 52 cm
- Provenance
- Given by the artist to Theo van Gogh, Paris, on or after 25 December 1888; 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; transferred by Vincent Willem van Gogh, Laren, to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation, Amsterdam, 10 July 1962; 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; on permanent loan to the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh from the opening of the museum on 2 June 1973, and at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, since 1 July 1994.
- artist
- Paul Gauguin
- Credits (obliged to state)
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, In the Picture. Kunstenaarsportretten, 21 February-30 August 2020
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh en de Zonnebloemen, 21 June-1 September 2019, no. 2.12
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, De waanzin nabij. Van Gogh en zijn ziekte, 15 July-25 September 2016, no. 4
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh aan het werk, 1 May 2013-13 January 2014
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Goghs brieven. De kunstenaar aan het woord, 9 October 2009-3 January 2010
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, De keuze van Vincent. Van Goghs Musée imaginaire, 14 February-15 June 2003, no. 173
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh en Gauguin. Het atelier van het zuiden, 9 February-2 June 2002, no. 46
Paris, Institut Néerlandais, Oeuvres écrites de Gauguin et Van Gogh, 14 May-29 June 1975, no. 119
Paris, Musée de l'Orangerie, Vincent van Gogh. Collection du Musée National Vincent van Gogh à Amsterdam, 21 December 1971-10 April 1972, no. 110
Cincinnati, Cincinnati Art Museum, The early work of Paul Gauguin : genesis of an artist, 18 March-26 April 1971, no. 17
Paris, Musée National d'Art Moderne, l'Expressionnisme Européen, 26 May-27 July 1970, no. 4
Munich, Haus der Kunst, Europäischer Expressionismus, 7 March-10 May 1970, no. 4
Amsterdam, Museum Fodor, October-December 1969
Zurich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Pont-Aven. Gauguin und sein Kreis in der Bretagne, 5 March-11 April 1966, no. 14
London, Tate Gallery, Gauguin and the Pont-Aven group, 7 January-13 February 1966, no. 15
Hamburg, Hamburger Kunstverein, Wegbereiter der modernen Malerei. Cézanne, Gauguin, van Gogh, Seurat, 4 May-14 July 1963, no. 43
Stockholm, Moderna Museet, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam besöker Moderna Museet, Stockholm, 26 December 1961-28 January 1962, no. 36
Humlebaek, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Stedelijk Museum besoger Louisiana, 28 October-3 December 1961, no. 39
Paris, Institut Néerlandais, Les amis de Van Gogh, 9 November-17 December 1960, no. 41
London, Marlborough Fine Art, Van Gogh Selfportraits, October 1960
Otterlo, Kröller-Müller Museum, Collectie Theo van Gogh, April-May 1960, no. 48
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Collectie Theo van Gogh, February 1960, no. 48
Mons, Museum voor Schoone Kunsten, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). Son art et ses amis, 22 March-5 May 1958, no. 90
New York, Wildenstein & Company, Loan exhibition, Gauguin: for the benefit of the Citizen's Committee for Children of New York City, 5 April-5 May 1956, no. 11
Coral Gables, Lowe Gallery of the University of Miami, Paul Gauguin, 1848-1903, 8-28 March 1956, no. 9
Palm Beach (Florida), Society of the Four Arts, Paul Gauguin 1848-1903, 4 February-4 March 1956, no. 11
Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Academy, Paul Gauguin : paintings, sculpture and engravings, 30 September-26 October 1955, no. 26
Antwerp, Feestzaal Antwerpen, Vincent van Gogh, 7 May-19 June 1955, no. 8
Eindhoven, Van Abbemuseum, Vincent van Gogh, 22 March-4 May 1952, no. 80
Enschede, Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Vincent van Gogh, 20 February-16 March 1952, no. 79
Lausanne, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Gauguin: exposition du centenaire, 16 February-16 April 1950, no. 2
Basel, Kunstmuseum Basel, Ausstellung Paul Gauguin zum 100. Geburtsjahr, 26 November 1949-29 January 1950, no. 22
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Vincent van Gogh, 14 September-1 December 1945
San Francisco, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Vincent van Gogh, 28 April-24 May 1936, no. 68
Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh, 25 March-19 April 1936, no. 68
Boston, Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), Vincent van Gogh, 19 February-15 March 1936, no. 68
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Philadelphia Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh, 11 January-10 February 1936, no. 68
New York, Museum of Modern Art (New York), Vincent van Gogh, 5 November 1935-5 January 1936, no. 68
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Vincent van Gogh en zijn tijdgenooten, 6 September-2 November 1930, no. 156
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Exposition rétrospective d'art français, 3 July-30 September 1926, no. 56bis
Antwerp, Feestzaal Antwerpen, L'art contemporain, 29 April-28 May 1922, no. 271
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Moderne Kunst Kring: Ouvrages de peinture, sculpture, dessin, gravure: exposée au Musée Municipal Suasso, 6 October-7 November 1912, no. 19
Cologne, Städtische Ausstellungshalle am Aachener Tor, Internationale Kunstausstellung des Sonderbundes westdeutscher Kunstfreunde und Künstler zu Cöln 1912, 25 May-30 September 1912, no. 154
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Tentoonstelling Vincent van Gogh, 15 July-1 September 1905, no. b
Callen, Anthea, Gallimmore, K., Havell, J., The art of impressionism : painting technique and the making of modernity, London, 2000, p. 215
Luijten, Hans, Alles voor Vincent : het leven van Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Amsterdam, 2019, p. 381
Schmidt, Georg, Ausstellung Paul Gauguin zum 100. Geburtsjahr, Basel, 1949, p. 27
Asséo, H., Brown, M.R., Bartoli, J.-P., Bohèmes : de Léonard de Vinci à Picasso, Paris, 2012, p. 95
Huyghe, René, Le carnet de Paul Gauguin, Paris, 1952, pp. 40-41, 70-71
Kikkert, Conrad, Le Fauconnier, Catalogue des ouvrages de peinture, sculpture, dessin, gravure, Amsterdam, 1912, p. 12
Gogh, Vincent Willem van, Collectie Theo van Gogh, Amsterdam, 1960, no. 48
Boyle, R.J., The early work of Paul Gauguin : genesis of an artist, Cincinnati, 1971, pp. 9, 12, 23
Hoog, Michel, Krause, I., Leymarie, J., Vogt, P., Wijsenbeek, L.J.F., Europäischer Expressionismus, München, 1970, p. 10
Hammacher, A.M., Exposition les amis de van Gogh : catalogue, Paris, 1960, pp. 33, 36
Exposition rétrospective d'art Français, Amsterdam, 1926, p. 43
Hendriks, Ella, Johnson jr., C. Richard, Loeff, Luuk van der, First international workshop on image processing for artist identification, Amsterdam, 2007, pp. 35, 78
Vergeest, Aukje, The French collection : nineteenth-century French paintings in Dutch public collections, Amsterdam, 2000, pp. 185-186
Vance, P., Gauguin, London, 1992, pp. 20, 70-71
Wildenstein, Daniel, Crussard, Sylvie, Heudron, Martine, Gauguin : a savage in the making : catalogue raisonné of the paintings (1873-1888), Milano, 2002, pp. 542-547
Cooper, Douglas, James, Philip, Gauguin : an exhibition of paintings, engravings and sculpture, Londen [etc.], 1955, p. 23
Wildenstein, Georges, Gauguin : I. catalogue, Parijs, 1964, pp. 109
Homburg, Cornelia, Riopelle, Christopher, Childs, Elizabeth C., Gamboni, Dario, Goddard, Linda, Guitton, Claire, Jumeau-Lafond, Jean-David, Wright, Alastair, Gauguin : portraits, Ottawa, 2019, pp. 77, 254
Wildenstein, Daniel, Crussard, Sylvie, Heudron, Martine, Gauguin : premier itinéraire d'un sauvage : catalogue de l'oeuvre peint (1873-1888), Paris, 2001, pp. 501-503, 542-547
Guégan, Stéphane, Gauguin : Voyage au bout de la terre, Vanves, 2017, p. 89
Walther, Ingo F., Gauguin 1848-1903 : the primitive sophisticate, Köln, 2017, p. 26
Sutton, D., White, Gabriel, Gauguin and the Pont-Aven group, [London], 1966, p. 21
Impressionist & modern art, [New York], 2019, p. 176
Bakker, Nienke, Smit, Lisa, Zeil, Wieteke van, Blokland, Ann, Prins, Laura, Hoeven, Joost van der, In the picture : kunstenaarsportretten, Bussum, 2020, pp. 29, 40-41
Bakker, Nienke, Smit, Lisa, Zeil, Wieteke van, Blokland, Ann, Prins, Laura, Hoeven, Joost van der, In the picture : portraying the artist, Bussum, 2020, pp. 29, 40-41
Reiche, R., Internationale Kunstausstellung des Sonderbundes Westdeutscher Kunstfreunde und Künstler zu Cöln 1912, Cöln, 1912, p. 34
Stolwijk, Chris, Heugten, Sjraar van, Jansen, Leo, Blühm, Andreas, De keuze van Vincent : Van Goghs Musée imaginaire, Amsterdam, 2003, pp. 301, 307
Crimpen, Han van, Jansen, Leo, Robert, J., Kort geluk : de briefwisseling tussen Theo van Gogh en Jo Bonger, Amsterdam ; Zwolle, 1999, pp. 81-83
Jaffé, Hans, Sandberg, W.H.J.B., Kunst van heden in het Stedelijk, 1961, s.p.
Hoog, Michel, Krause, I., Leymarie, J., Vogt, P., Wijsenbeek, L.J.F., L'Expressionnisme Europeen, Paris, 1970, p. 11
Darley, Esther, Suijver, Renske, Masterpieces in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 2019, p. 116
Darley, Esther, Suijver, Renske, Meesterwerken in het Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 2019, p. 116
Gauguin, Paul, Natures mortes, pp. 273-275
Gogh, Vincent Willem van, Gorter, S. de, Oeuvres écrites de Gauguin et Van Gogh : collections du Musée National Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam, Paris, 1975, p. 47
Bakker, Nienke, Tilborgh, Louis van, Prins, Laura, On the verge of insanity : Van Gogh and his illness, Amsterdam, 2016, pp. 16, 18-19
Welsh-Ovcharov, Bogomila, The ownership of Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers", pp. 184, 188, 191
Gockel, B., Die Pathologisierung des Künstlers : Künstlerlegenden der Moderne, Berlin, 2010, p. 153
Havelaar, Just, Paul Gauguin, pp. 419-420
Cooper, Douglas, Gauguin, Paul, Levie, S.H., Paul Gauguin : 45 lettres à Vincent, Théo et Jo van Gogh : collection Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam, 's-Gravenhage ; Lausanne, 1983, pp. 251-255
Lemonedes, Heather, Thomson, Belinda, Juszczak, Agnieszka, Stolwijk, Chris, Stanton, M., Paul Gauguin : de doorbraak naar moderniteit, Amsterdam, 2009, pp. 75-76
Lemonedes, Heather, Thomson, Belinda, Juszczak, Agnieszka, Stolwijk, Chris, Stanton, M., Paul Gauguin : the breakthrough into modernity, Amsterdam, 2009, pp. 75-76
Gamboni, Dario, Paul Gauguin : the mysterious centre of thought, London, 2014, pp. 165-167, 172, 174, 355-356
Dovski, Lee van, Paul Gauguin oder die Flucht vor der Zivilisation, Bern, 1950, p. 342
Baumann, Felix Andreas, Hermann, F., Sutton, D., Wehrli, R., Pont-Aven : Gauguin und sein Kreis in der Bretagne, Zürich, 1966, pp. 51-52
Uitert, Evert van, Hoyle, Michael, Crimpen, Han van, The Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam, 1987, pp. 112-113, 315
Hultén, K.G., Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam besöker Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Stockholm, 1961
Baard, Cornelis, Stedelijke tentoonstelling 'Vincent van Gogh en zijn tijdgenooten' : met steun van het Rijk en met medewerking der Vereeniging 'Vincent van Gogh en zijn tijd' ter herdenking van den sterfdag van Vincent van Gogh (29 juli 1890), Den Haag, 1930, p. 29
Bailey, Martin, The sunflowers are mine : the story of Van Gogh's masterpiece, London, 2013, pp. 11, 75-81, 84, 91
TEFAF Maastricht 2002, Helvoirt, 2002, p. 23
Stolwijk, Chris, Thomson, Richard, Heugten, Sjraar van, Theo van Gogh 1857-1891 : art dealer, collector and brother of Vincent, Amsterdam ; Zwolle, 1999, pp. 47, 49, 160
Stolwijk, Chris, Thomson, Richard, Heugten, Sjraar van, Theo van Gogh 1857-1891 : kunsthandelaar, verzamelaar en broer van Vincent, Amsterdam ; Zwolle, 1999, pp. 47, 49, 161
Blühm, Andreas, Lippincott, L., Tier Schau : wie unser bild vom tier entstand, Köln, 2007, p. 85
Hendriks, Ella, Vellekoop, Marije, Van Gogh's Sunflowers illuminated : art meets science, Amsterdam, 2019, p. 33
Westheider, Ortrud, Philipp, Michael, Heugten, Sjraar van, Hortolani, Valerie, Koldehoff, Stefan, Rathbone, Eliza E., Tostmann, Oliver, Vellekoop, Marije, Zimmermann, Michael F., Van Gogh : still lifes, Munich, 2019, pp. 66-67, 100, 198
Vellekoop, Marije, Bakker, Nienke, Dijk, Maite van, Hendriks, Ella, Van Gogh aan het werk, Amsterdam, 2013, pp. 187, 189
Bakker, Nienke, Van Gogh aan het werk : hoogtepunten, Amsterdam, 2013
Druick, Douglas W., Zegers, Peter Kort, Salvesen, Britt, Van Gogh and Gauguin : the Studio of the South, Chicago, 2001, pp. 236-238, 406
Bakker, Nienke, Hendriks, Ella, Van Gogh and the Sunflowers : a masterpiece examined, Amsterdam, 2019, pp. 34, 76
Vellekoop, Marije, Bakker, Nienke, Dijk, Maite van, Geldof, Muriel, Hendriks, Ella, Reissland, Birgit, Van Gogh at work, Amsterdam, 2019, pp. 187, 189
Bakker, Nienke, Hendriks, Ella, Van Gogh en de Zonnebloemen : een meesterwerk onderzocht, Amsterdam, 2019, pp. 34, 76
Druick, Douglas W., Zegers, Peter Kort, Salvesen, Britt, Van Gogh en Gauguin : het Atelier van het Zuiden, Chicago, 2001, pp. 234-243, 349-350, 390
Pickvance, Ronald, Van Gogh in Arles, New York, cop. 1984, pp. 203, 236
Leeuw, Ronald de, Van Gogh Museum : schilderijen en pastels, Zwolle, 1993, p. 199
Thomson, Belinda, Van Gogh paintings : the masterpieces, London, 2018, p. 135
Thomson, Belinda, Van Gogh schilder : de meesterwerken, Amsterdam, 2016, pp. 135, 189
Hammacher, A.M., Kokoschka, Oskar, Van Gogh selfportraits, London, 1960
Stolwijk, Chris, Heugten, Sjraar van, Jansen, Leo, Blühm, Andreas, Vincent's choice : the Musée imaginaire of Van Gogh, Amsterdam, 2003, pp. 301, 305, 307
Denvir, Bernard, Vincent : a complete portrait : all of Vincent van Gogh's self-portraits, with excerpts from his writings, Philadelphia, 1994, pp. 114-115
Gogh, Vincent Willem van, Tralbaut, Marc Edo, Wilms, J., Vincent van Gogh, s.l., 1955
Jansen, Leo, Luijten, Hans, Bakker, Nienke, Vincent van Gogh - De brieven : De volledige, geïllustreerde en geannoteerde uitgave : Deel 3 : Drenthe - Parijs, 1883-1887, Amsterdam, 2009, p. 372
Gogh, Vincent Willem van, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) : son art et ses amis, Amsterdam, 1958
Jaffé, Hans, Munsterberger, W., Vincent van Gogh : een documentaire tentoonstelling, Amsterdam, 1945, p. 4
Bakker, Nienke, Tilborgh, Louis van, Prins, Laura, De waanzin nabij : Van Gogh en zijn ziekte, Amsterdam, 2016, pp. 16, 18-19
Platte, H., Wegbereiter der modernen Malerei : Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Seurat, Hamburg, 1963
Gayford, Martin, The Yellow House : Van Gogh, Gauguin, and nine turbulent weeks in Arles, London, 2006, pp. 250-254, 277
Inaga, Shigemi, Van Gogh's Japan and Gauguin's Tahiti reconsidered, pp. 159-160
Fossi, Gloria, De Marco, Danilo, Dondero, Mario, In search of Van Gogh : capturing the life of the artist through photographs and paintings, New York, 2021, pp. 164-165
Gauguin, E., Gauguin, Paul, Wyck Brooks, van, Paul Gauguin's intimate journals, New York, 1936, p. 33
Monfreid, George Daniel de, Sur Paul Gauguin, p. 270
De "Moderne Kunstkring" te Amsterdam
Stedelijk Museum te Amsterdam: Moderne Kunstkring
Dake, C.L., De Moderne Kunstkring, p. 8
Rotonchamp, Jean de, Paul Gauguin : 1848-1903, Paris, 1925, pp. 59-60
De retrospectieve Fransche tentoonstelling te Amsterdam, p. 2
Meyerson, Åke, Van Gogh and the school of Pont-Aven, p. 139
Minkowska, F., Van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat - Bachelard, Binswanger, Minkowski, p. 63
Hanson, E., Hanson, L., The noble savage : a life of Paul Gauguin, London, 1955, pp. 156-157
Gelder, Jan Gerrit van, Paul Gauguin (1848-1903): Vincent van Gogh in zijn atelier in Arles, pp. 27a-b
Roskill, Mark W., Van Gogh, Gauguin and the Impressionist Circle, London, 1970, pp. 54, 128, 156, 203, 241
Roskill, Mark W., Van Gogh, Gauguin and French painting of the 1880s : a catalogue raisonné of key works, Ann Arbor, 1970, pp. 170-173
Andersen, W., Klein, B., Gauguin's paradise lost, New York, 1971, pp. 80, 290
Sugana, G.M., L'opera completa di Gauguin, Milano, 1972, pp. 94-95
Rewald, John, Theo van Gogh, Goupil and the impressionists, pp. 35-36
Rewald, John, Post-impressionism : from Van Gogh to Gauguin, New York, 1978, pp. 239-240, 244, 249
Perruchot, Henri, Dorival, Bernard, Nourissier, F., Paul Gauguin : génies et réalités, Paris, 1986, pp. 112-113
Malingue, M., La vie prodigieuse de Gauguin, Paris, 1987, pp. 124, 127-128
Hoog, Michel, Gauguin : vie et oeuvre, [s.l.], 1987, p. 103
Jirat-Wasiutyński, Vojtěch, Newton, Travers, Paul Gauguin’s paintings of late 1888: reconstructing the artist’s aims from technical and documentary evidence, pp. 26, 29-31
Lindert, J. van, Uitert, Evert van, Een eigentijdse expressie : Vincent van Gogh en zijn portretten, Amsterdam, 1990, p. 119
Jirat-Wasiutyński, Vojtěch, Newton, Travers, Tradition et innovation dans la technique picturale de Paul Gauguin, pp. 75-76
Leeuw, Ronald de, The Van Gogh Museum : paintings and pastels, Zwolle, 1994
Gedo, John E., The inner world of Paul Gauguin, p. 67
Landais, Benoit, Van Gogh : mais qui résoudra le problème de la provenance des "Tournesols"?, p. 46
Jirat-Wasiutyński, Vojtěch, Newton, Travers, Technique and meaning in the paintings of Paul Gauguin, Cambridge, 2000, pp. 124-131, 132, 134, 135, 157, 201, 240-241
Bailey, Martin, The Folio Society books of the 100 greatest portraits, London, 2004, pp. 178-179
Jansen, Leo, Luijten, Hans, Bakker, Nienke, Vincent van Gogh - The Letters : The complete illustrated and annotated edition : Volume 4 : Arles, 1888-1889, Amsterdam, 2009, p. 372
Jansen, Leo, Luijten, Hans, Bakker, Nienke, Vincent van Gogh - The Letters : The complete illustrated and annotated edition : Volume 5 : Saint-Rémy-de-Provence - Auvers-sur-Oise, 1889-1890, Amsterdam, 2009, p. 92
Naifeh, Steven, Smith, Gregory White, Vincent van Gogh : the life, London, 2011, pp. 686-687
Coutagne, Denis, Le midi de Van Gogh, Marseille, [s.a.], pp. 91-92
Bakker, Nienke, Van Gogh at work : highlights, Amsterdam, 2013, p. 32
Gamboni, Dario, Gauguin and the challenge of ambiguity, pp. 106-107
Gauguin, Paul, Notes manuscrites: 'Diverses choses du regrette Vincent Van Gogh' [Manuscript from 1896-1898, in the collection of the Louvre Cabinet des dessins, Paris RF 7259], 1896-1898, pp. 261-262.
Serres, Karen, Bailey, Martin, Tilborgh, Louis van, Van Gogh : self-portraits, London, 2022, pp. 53, 63, 66, 72-73, 88, 136, 152
Chassé, Charles, Gauguin sans légendes, Paris, 1965, p. 100
Zieglgänsberger, Roman, Max Pechstein : die Sonne in Schwarzweiss, Petersberg, 2024, pp. 29-30
Hoeven, Joost van der, Roos Rosa de Carvalho, Fleur, Blok, Franka, Smit, Lisa, Reid, Nina, Suijver, Renske, Tas, Sara, Contemporaries of Van Gogh 1 : works collected by Theo and Vincent, Amsterdam, 2023
