Amsterdam In Tour

While the Van Gogh Museum collection contains many of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings, there are still many others around the world in various other collections.  

      The Starry Night, 1889 

One of Van Gogh’s most iconic paintings, The Starry Night, is on display at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), in New York. It was painted during Van Gogh’s time in Saint Remy, inspired by the view from his window. However, he took many artistic liberties in his depiction because he was actually painting this nighttime scene during the day. Also, the village could not be seen through his window. 

The Starry Night passed through many hands before eventually settling in the MoMA. Van Gogh first sent it to his brother, Theo, in 1889. After both of their deaths, the painting passed to Theo’s widow, Joanna. The painting was sold many times between other collectors, before returning to Joanna between 1900 and 1906. Eventually, in 1906, Joanna sold the painting to the Oldenzeel Gallery in Rotterdam, where it was then owned by Georgette P. van Stolk of Rotterdam. He later sold it to Paul Rosenberg, who is the reason The Starry Night was acquired by the MoMA in 1941.  

      Self-Portrait 1889

This self-portrait is among Van Gogh’s most famous and is currently displayed at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. Instead of depicting himself in his usual blue pea coat, he is instead wearing a suit. His very static figure is contrasted by the dynamic, almost hallucinogenic background, amplified by the complimentary blues and oranges. 

This painting was part of Dr. Paul Gachet’s collection in Auvers-sur-Oise until 1949 where it was donated to the state for the Jeu de Paume Museum. That same year it was displayed at the Louvre, Paris. From 1949 to 1986, the painting passed between the two collections until eventually being assigned to the Musee D’Orsay, Paris, in 1986. 

         Irises, 1889

Irises, currently on display at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles California, was painted in 1889 during Van Gogh’s time in Saint Remy. This type of flower features in multiple paintings by Van Gogh since they could be found in gardens at the asylum. The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, has its own still life version of Irises in a style reminiscent of Van Gogh’s earlier work, Sunflowers. 

Irises was owned by many art collectors before finding its way to the Getty Museum. It was first owned by Julien Tanguy, an art collector that had close ties with Van Gogh. They met during Van Gogh’s time in Paris, and he even painted a series of portraits of ‘Father’ Tanguy. Below you will see his third portrait from late 1887, which also depicts ukiyo-e prints behind him (such as the Courtesan, which inspired Van Gogh’s copy on display in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam). Irises is another example of Van Gogh’s heavy inspiration from the ukiyo-e prints due to the floral subject and the bold outlines. 

Julien Tanguy sold the painting in 1892, and it was then sold between various art collectors and artists. From 1944-1947, the painting belonged to an art dealership in New York, M. Knoedler & Co, which has its origins in the same art dealership Van Gogh worked for, Goupil & Cie. The painting was then sold to Joan Whitney Payson, then Alan Bond, before being sold privately by Sotheby’s (New York), an international auction house. Finally, it made its way to the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1990.