Lena Rivera
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York houses a collection of Van Gogh paintings, including 'Wheat Field with Cypresses' and 'The Starry Night'. Van Gogh's works are in high demand worldwide, and the Met's collection is the largest collection of the artist's work in the US. The Met's Van Gogh paintings are usually on tour, but in 2018, all 16 of the museum's Van Gogh canvases were exhibited together for the first time in four years. The Met's Van Gogh holdings also include six drawings, with one in the Lehman Collection.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Van Gogh paintings | 16 |
| Number of Van Gogh drawings | 6 |
| Names of some paintings | Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat, Wheat Field with Cypresses, The Flowering Orchard, Cypresses, The Starry Night, Madame Roulin and Her Baby, L'Arlésienne, Oleanders, Vase, Sunflowers, Roses, Patience Escalier's shoes, Irises |
| Year of creation | 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890 |
| Gallery numbers | 822, 823, 825, 826, 961 |
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What You'll Learn
Van Gogh's paintings at the Met usually tour the world
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York houses a collection of Van Gogh's paintings, drawings, and illustrated letters. The Met's Van Gogh holdings include sixteen paintings, with some sources citing seventeen, and six drawings. The paintings cover the different stages of Van Gogh's artistic growth and life, including his prolific years in France, and range from portraits to still lifes to landscapes.
Van Gogh's paintings at the Met are usually committed to exhibitions around the world. In 2018, for the first time in four years, all sixteen paintings were reunited at the Met in galleries 822 and 825. This was a rare occasion as Van Gogh's work is in high demand globally. Some of the paintings that had been touring since the last reunion in 2014 were "The Flowering Orchard" (1888), which travelled to Helsinki, Oslo, and Copenhagen, and "Cypresses" (1889), which went to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. "Van Gogh's Irises" (1890) and "Sunflowers" (1887) were also included in the Met's exhibition "Public Parks, Private Gardens: Paris to Provence."
Some Van Gogh paintings that visitors can always count on seeing at the Met include "Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat" (1887), which hasn't left the museum since its acquisition in 1967, and seven works from the Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Collection, including "Wheat Field with Cypresses" (1889). These works were acquired with the provision that they never be loaned out.
The Met's Van Gogh collection also includes illustrated letters, such as "Row of Cypresses with a Couple Strolling ['The Poet's Garden']," and precious drawings, many of which have rarely, if ever, been lent or exhibited together.
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The Met's Van Gogh collection
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, also known as the Met, houses a collection of 16 to 17 paintings by Vincent van Gogh, the largest collection of the artist's work on this side of the Atlantic. The Met's Van Gogh paintings are usually off touring the world, so it is rare to find all of them at the museum at the same time. The Met's Van Gogh holdings also include six drawings, with one in the Lehman Collection and the rest in the drawings and prints department.
In 2018, all 16 of the Met's Van Gogh paintings were reunited in New York for the first time in four years. The paintings were displayed in galleries 822 and 825, offering visitors a rare chance to see the full range of the artist's work, from portraits to still lifes to landscapes.
In 2023, the Met hosted a "once-in-a-lifetime" Van Gogh exhibit titled "Van Gogh's Cypresses," marking the 170th anniversary of the artist's birth. This exhibition focused on Van Gogh's obsession with the cypress trees of Provence, France, where he lived from 1888 to 1890. The exhibition included iconic paintings such as "Wheat Field with Cypresses" and "The Starry Night," as well as rarely lent works that explored the artist's creative process and his unique vision of the commanding cypress trees.
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Van Gogh's paintings: originals or replicas?
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York houses 16 to 17 paintings by Vincent van Gogh, the largest collection of the artist's work in the US. The Met's Van Gogh collection includes Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (1887), The Flowering Orchard (1888), Madame Roulin and Her Baby (1888), Wheat Field with Cypresses (1889), Cypresses (1889), and Irises (1890).
Van Gogh's paintings are often sent on loan to other museums and exhibitions around the world, making it rare for all of the Met's Van Gogh paintings to be on view at the museum at the same time. In 2018, for instance, all 16 of the Met's Van Gogh paintings were reunited at the museum for the first time in four years.
While it is not explicitly stated whether the Van Gogh paintings at the Met are originals or replicas, it is highly likely that they are originals given the prestige of the institution and the fact that Van Gogh's paintings are often sent on loan to other museums and exhibitions. Additionally, the Met's Van Gogh paintings are described as masterpieces and not-to-be-missed occasions, further suggesting that they are originals.
Furthermore, Van Gogh's paintings at the Met are said to cover the different stages of his artistic growth and life, with works from his time in Arles and Saint-Rémy in the late 1880s to his final months in Provence. The paintings also showcase Van Gogh's creative process and his obsession with the cypress trees of Provence, France, where he lived from 1888 to 1890.
In conclusion, while it cannot be stated with absolute certainty, it is highly probable that the Van Gogh paintings at the Met are originals, given the museum's reputation, the rarity of having all the paintings reunited, and the significance of the works in understanding the artist's creative process and development.
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Van Gogh's cypresses
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York houses 16 Vincent van Gogh paintings, including "Cypresses", which was painted in June 1889. Van Gogh described the trees as "beautiful in line and proportion", and they feature in some of his most iconic works. The painting depicts two cypresses in dramatic close-up, with the canvas turned vertically. The tree on the left appears to have its top lopped off, compressing its shape into a bulky, churning mass.
Van Gogh began painting cypresses towards the end of his life, while living in the south of France. He initially painted them as generic foliage in the landscapes of Arles, but he began to focus on them in the summer of 1889, after suffering a mental collapse and voluntarily entering an asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Confined to the hospital grounds, he painted the fields outside his window and studied the blue irises in the garden.
The "Cypresses" painting is one of two close-up views of the trees in a vertical format; the other is in the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo. The canvas contains sand and limestone pebbles, which were discovered using X-ray fluorescence mapping. This suggests that most of the painting was completed outdoors, with the final touches added in Van Gogh's studio.
The Met's exhibition "Van Gogh's Cypresses" brought together 24 paintings, 15 drawings, and four illustrated letters in which cypresses make an appearance. The exhibition focused on Van Gogh's fascination with the trees, which he described as tall and dark and likened to Egyptian obelisks. The trees sparked his imagination over the course of two years in the south of France, from his initial sightings in Arles to his later paintings at the asylum in Saint-Rémy.
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Van Gogh's creative process
Vincent van Gogh's creative process was driven by his intense spiritual convictions and reverence for the humble subjects of his paintings. He viewed people as types, often depicting peasant labourers involved in daily activities. Van Gogh was inspired by the Old Masters, such as Millet, Israels, Rembrandt, Rubens, and Frans Hals, and sought to emulate their moral convictions and glorification of colour and surface effects in his own work.
Van Gogh was a self-taught artist, learning by trial and error and experimenting with different techniques and materials. He preferred to learn the elements of art one at a time and in a logical order, but he also followed his passions and detoured from his planned path. He used a variety of tools to achieve the desired marks, including palette knives, his fingers, paint straight from the tube, old brushes, and mixing on the canvas.
Van Gogh's work is characterised by bold, swirling brushstrokes that create a unique sense of movement and vibration. He also employed techniques such as outlining and swirls, pointillism, and the use of light outlines around certain elements. Despite facing personal struggles, mental health issues, and financial hardships, Van Gogh persevered in his dedication to art, choosing to follow his own vision rather than conform to the artistic norms of his era.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the Van Gogh paintings at the Met are original. The museum has 16 Van Gogh paintings in its European paintings collection, including 'Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat' (1887) and 'Wheat Field with Cypresses' (1889).
The Van Gogh paintings are located in galleries 822 and 825 of the Met.
Yes, 'Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat' (1887) hasn't been on tour outside of New York since its acquisition in 1967. The seven Van Gogh works from the Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Collection, which include 'Wheat Field with Cypresses' (1889), were acquired with the provision that they never be loaned out.
