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A profusion of white roses bursting from the neck of a tan jug almost fills the height of this horizontal still life painting. The roses have large, round blooms with petals tinged with denim and aquamarine blue, sage green, mauve pink, teal, and butter yellow. Emerald-green leaves fill the spaces between blossoms. The jug has a short, rounded handle and sits on a sea glass-green surface. A few blooms lie in the lower left corner and at the foot of the vessel. Many of the flowers, leaves, and vase are outlined with navy blue or black. A mint-green wall with wavy, diagonal streaks of cream white fills the background. The paint is applied thickly with visible strokes.

Vincent van Gogh

Roses, 1890

West Building, Main Floor — Gallery 83

Medium

oil on canvas

Dimensions

overall: 71 x 90 cm (27 15/16 x 35 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Pamela Harriman in memory of W. Averell Harriman

Accession Number

1991.67.1

Artists / Makers

Vincent van Gogh (painter) Dutch, 1853 - 1890

Image Use

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Overview

Roses was painted shortly before Van Gogh's release from the asylum at Saint–Rémy. He felt he was coming to terms with his illness—and himself. In this healing process, painting was all–important. During those final three weeks of his recovery, he wrote his brother Theo, he had "worked as in a frenzy. Great bunches of flowers, violet irises, big bouquets of roses..."

This is one of two rose paintings Van Gogh made at that time. It is among his largest and most beautiful still lifes, with an exuberant bouquet in the glory of full bloom. Although he sometimes assigned certain meanings to flowers, Van Gogh did not make a specific association for roses. It is clear, though, that he saw all blossoming plants as celebrations of birth and renewal—as full of life. That sense is underscored here by the fresh spring green of the background. The undulating ribbons of paint, applied in diagonal strokes, animate the canvas and play off the furled forms of flowers and leaves. Originally, the roses were pink—the color has faded—and would have created a contrast of complementary colors with the green. Such combinations of complements fascinated Van Gogh. The paint is very thick—so thick that both rose paintings were left behind when Van Gogh left Saint–Rémy on May 16, 1890. As he explained to Theo, "these canvases will take a whole month to dry, but the attendant here will undertake to send them off after my departure." They arrived in Auvers by June 24.

Provenance

By inheritance after the artist's 1890 death to his brother, Theo van Gogh [1857-1891], Paris; by inheritance to his wife and the artist's sister-in-law, Mme Johanna van Gogh-Bonger [1862-1925], Amsterdam; sold 9 June 1891 to Paul Gallimard [1850-1929], Paris.[1] private collection of the Bernheim-Jeune family, Paris, from at least 1917;[2] sold 1929 to (Alex Reid & Lefèvre, London);[3] half share with (M. Knoedler & Co., New York); sold January 1930 to W. Averell Harriman [1891-1986], New York;[4] his third wife, Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman [1920-1997], Washington, D.C., and Paris; gift (partial and promised) 1991 to NGA; gift completed 1997.

[1] The painting is listed in the Andries Bonger list, no 264, as "roses dans un pot (fond vert bleu) / vendu le 9 juin 1891 à M. Gallimard à fr. 400." This list of 364 works by Van Gogh is in the handwriting of Andries Bonger, who was Theo Van Gogh's brother-in-law. The list is undated, but thought by scholars to be c. 1890/1891 ("Catalogue des oeuvres de Vincent van Gogh," manuscript b 3055 V/1962, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam; transcribed and published in Walter Feilchenfeldt, Vincent van Gogh: die Gemalde 1886-1890, Wadenswil, 2009, and Walter Feilchenfeldt, Vincent van Gogh, the Years in France. Complete Paintings 1886-1890, London, 2013: 287ff; copy in NGA curatorial files). The transcription of the entry for 264 in Feilchenfeldt 2013 is missing the word "bleu" in the first line; see the Bonger list in digitized form at http://www.geheugenvannederland.nl/en/geheugen/view?coll=ngvn&identifier=VGM01%3Ab3055 (accessed May 2018). Previously the first documented reference to Gallimard's ownership was a 1905 exhibition catalogue mentioned by J.-B. de la Faille, The Works of Vincent van Gogh: Paintings and Drawings, Amsterdam, 1970: no. F681. The painting is not described in Louis Vauxcelles, "Collection M.P. Gallimard," Les Arts (September 1908): 1-32.

[2] The painting was lent by "Coll. B.J" to a 1917 exhibition in Zurich, the catalogue not specifying Alexandre Bernheim (1839-1915), or his sons, Josse Bernheim-Jeune (1870-1941) or Gaston Bernheim-Jeune (1870-1953), who joined him in the art dealership.

[3] Letter dated 7 February 1929 from Reid & Lefèvre to Bernheim-Jeune (Lefèvre archives, Hyman Kreitman Research Centre, Tate Britain, London, TGA 2002/11, Box 228; copy in NGA curatorial files). The painting was exhibited at Alex Reid & Lefevre in Glasgow in 1929 as "from a great private collection."

[4] M. Knoedler & Co. Records, accession number 2012.M.54, Research Library, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles: Stockbook No. 8, p.75, and Sales Book No. 13 (copies in NGA curatorial files).

Associated Names

Bernheim-Jeune
Gallimard, Paul
Gogh, Theo van
Gogh-Bonger, Johanna van, Mme
Harriman, W. Averell Mrs.
Harriman, W. Averell, The Honorable
Knoedler & Company, M.
Reid & Lefèvre, Ltd, Alex

Exhibition History

1895: Possibly first Van Gogh exhibition, Ambroise Vollard, Paris, June 4-30, 1895, no catalogue.

1904: Paul Cassirer VII/II, Berlin, November 22 – December 16, 1904, no. 45 as Rosen.

1908: Cent Tableaux par van Gogh, Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, January 1908, no. 76.

1917: Französische Kunst des XIX. und XX. Jahrhunderts, Kunsthaus, Zürich, 1917, no. 111.

1925: Les Grandes influences au dix-neuvième siécle (d'Ingres à Cezanne). Galerie Paul Rosenberg, Paris, 1925, no. 8, as Roses carolines.

1926: Trente ans d'art indépendant 1884-1914, Sociéte des artistes indépendants, Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, Paris, 1926, no. 2957.

1927: Galerie d'art Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, 1927, no catalogue.

1929: Exposition de Peintures de l'École Impressionniste et Néoimpressionniste, Lucerne, 1929, no. 24.

1929: Masterpieces by Nineteenth Century French Painters, Alex. Reid & Lefevre, London, June 1929, no. 3, repro.

1929: Ten Masterpieces of 19th Century French Painting, Alex Reid & Lefevre, Glasgow, April 1929.

1930: Exhibition Commemorating the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Opening of the Albright Art Gallery, The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, 1930, no. 66, repro.

1930: Opening Exhibition, Marie Harriman Gallery, New York, 1930, no. 10.

1931: Still Life, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 1931, no. 18.

1932: "Flowers" by French Painters XIX-XX Centuries, M. Knoedler and Co., New York, 1932, no. 17, repro.

1933: A Century of Progess Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933, no. 386.

1936: Vincent van Gogh, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1936. no. 58, repro.

1939: Modern French Masters, Marie Harriman Gallery, New York, 1939, no. 15.

1939: The Sources of Modern Painting, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (organized by The Institute of Modern Art, Boston); Wildenstein & Co., New York, 1939, no. 73 (Boston), no. 49 (New York), repros., as White Roses.

1940: Masterpieces of Art. European & American Painting 1500-1900, New York World's Fair, 1940, no. 363, repro.

1942: Paintings by van Gogh, The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Worcester Art Museum, 1942, no. 27, repro.

1943: The Art and Life of Vincent van Gogh: Loan Exhibition in Aid of American and Dutch War Relief, Wildenstein, New York, 1943, no. 58, repro.

1953: Collectors' Choice: Masterpieces of French Art from New York Private Collections, Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York, 1953, no. 13, repro.

1954: Magic of Flowers in Painting, Wildenstein, New York, 1954, no. 28, repro.

1955: Albany Institute of History and Art, 1955, no catalogue.

1955: Loan Exhibition for the Benefit of the Public Education Association, Wildenstein, New York, 1955, no. 69, repro.

1959: Masterpieces of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Painting, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1959, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

1960: Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture Collected by Yale Alumni: An Exhibition, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut, 1960, no. 71, repro., as Les Roses.

1961: Exhibition of the Marie and Averell Harriman Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1961, unnumbered catalogue, repro. 17.

1963: A World of Flowers: Paintings and Prints, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1963, unnumbered catalogue, repro. in Bulletin 58, no. 277 (Spring 1963).

1980: Post-Impressionism: Cross-Currents in European and American Painting 1880-1906, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1980, no. 77, color repro., as Still Life, Roses.

1991: Art for the Nation: Gifts in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1991, unnumbered catalogue, color repro.

1993: Extended loan for use by Ambassador Pamela Harriman, U.S. Embassy residence, Paris, France, 1993-1997.

1999: Van Gogh's Irises: Masterpiece in Focus, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1999, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

2001: Impressionist Still Life, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2001-2002, pl. 79.

2010: The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2010, no. 150, repro.

2011: Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The National Art Center, Tokyo; Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, 2011, no. 21, repro.

2015: Van Gogh: Irises and Roses, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2015, no catalogue.

2019: Vincent van Gogh: Under the Spell of the Hague School and Impressionism, Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo; Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Kobe, 2019 - 2020, no. 81, repro.

Bibliography

1916: Duret, Théodore. Van Gogh, Vincent. Paris, 1916: pl. VII.

1919: Duret, Théodore. Van Gogh, Vincent. Paris, 1919: pl. VII.

1919: L'Art Moderne et quelques aspects de l'art d'autrefois. Paris, 1919: pl. 61.

1925: Colin, Paul. Van Gogh. Paris, 1925: pl. 22.

1926: Colin, Paul. Van Gogh. Paris, 1926: pl. 26.

1927: Faille, J.-B. de la. L'Epoque française de van Gogh. Paris, 1927: 57, repro.

1928: Faille, J.-B. de la. L'Oeuvre de Vincent Van Gogh, catalogue raisonné. 4 vols. Paris and Brussels, 1928: 1:no. 681; 2:repro. as Nature morte: roses.

1929: "Art of the Day, Six pictures which are Prominently in the Public Eye." The Sphere (13 July 1929): 105, repro.

1929: "Franzosen in Glasgow." Cicerone 21 (April 1929): 243, repro. 237.

1931: Mannes, Marya. "A Modern Setting for Contemporary Pictures" International Studio (March 1931): 24, repro.

1933: Rich, Daniel Catton. "The Exhibition of French Art 'Art Institute' of Chicago." Formes 33 (1933): 383.

1937: Scherjon, W., and Jos. de Gruyter. Vincent van Gogh's Great Period: Arles, St. Rémy and Auvers sur Oise (Complete Catalogue). Amsterdam, 1937: 301, no. 110, repro.

1939: Faille, J.-B. de la. Vincent Van Gogh. New York and Paris, 1939: 484, no. 681, repro.

1942: Van Loon, Hendrik Willem. "Vincent van Gogh in Baltimore and Worcester." Art News 41, no. 10 (1-14 October 1942): 17-18, repro.

1970: Faille, J.-B. de la. The Works of Vincent van Gogh: Paintings and Drawings. Amsterdam, 1970: no. F681, repro.

1980: Hulsker, Jan. The Complete Van Gogh: Paintings, drawings, sketches. New York, 1980: 448-450, no. 1976, repro.

1987: Pickvance, Ronald. Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy and Auvers. Exh. cat. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1987: no. 53, 186-187, repro., not in exhibition.

1988: Feilchenfeldt, Walter. Vincent van Gogh & Paul Cassirer, Berlin. Amsterdam, 1988: 112.

1991: Art for the Nation: Gifts in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1991: 238-239, color repro.

1991: Gingold, Diane J., and Elizabeth A.C. Weil. The Corporate Patron. New York, 1991: 106, 202-203, color repro.

1991: Simon, Robin. "The National Gallery of Art, Washington: Fifty Years of Collecting for the Public Good." Apollo 133 (March 1991): 152, 154, repro.

1994: Walther, Ingo F., and Rainer Metzger. Vincent van Gogh: Sämtliche Gemälde. 2 vols. Cologne, 1994: 2:625.

1998: Whelan, Richard. Impressionist Flowers: Art of the Bouquet. Cobb, California, 1998.

1999: Welsh-Ovcharov, Bogomila. Van Gogh: Provence and Auvers. New York, 1999: repro. 224.

1999: Yeide, Nancy H. "The Marie Harriman Gallery." Archives of American Art Journal 39, nos. 1-2 (1999): 2-11, repro.

2001: Rathbone, Eliza, and George Shackelford. Impressionist Still Life. Ex. cat. The Phillips Collection, Washington, 2001: 175, repro.

2004: Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 376, no. 309, color repro.

2013: Feilchenfeldt, Walter. Vincent van Gogh: The Years in France, Complete Paintings 1886-1890. London, 2013: 187, 294.

2013: Harris, Neil. Capital Culture: J. Carter Brown, the National Gallery of Art, and the Reinvention of the Museum Experience. Chicago and London, 2013: 417.

2015: Koldehoff, Stefan. Ich und Van Gogh: Bilder, Sammler und ihre abenteuerlichen Geschichten. Berlin, 2015: 158-161, repro. 158, color repro. 159.