Sunflowers (Van Gogh Series) - The Paris Sunflowers

The Paris Sunflowers

See also: Still life paintings by Vincent van Gogh (Paris)

Little is known of Van Gogh's activities during the two years he lived with his brother Theo in Paris, 1886-1888. The fact that he had painted Sunflowers already is only revealed in spring 1889, when Gauguin claimed one of the Arles versions in exchange for studies he had left behind after leaving Arles for Paris. Van Gogh was upset and replied that Gauguin had absolutely no right for this request: "I am definitely keeping my sunflowers in question. He has two of them already, let that hold him. And if he is not satisfied with the exchange he has made with me, he can take back his little Martinique canvas, and his self-portrait sent me from Brittany, at the same time giving me back both my portrait and the two sunflower canvases which he has taken to Paris. So if he ever broaches this subject again, I've told you just how matters stand."

Sunflowers (F.375), Oil on canvas, 43.2 x 61 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Sunflowers (F.376), Oil on canvas, 50 x 60.7 cm, Kunstmuseum Bern Sunflowers (F.452), Oil on canvas, 60 × 100 cm, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo F.Numbers refer to De la Faille Catalogue raisonné

The two Sunflowers in question show two buttons each, one of them was preceded by a small study, and a fourth large canvas combines both compositions.

These were Van Gogh's first paintings with "nothing but sunflowers"—yet, he had already included sunflowers in still life and landscape earlier.