Arles · 1888 -1889 · A series, not a single painting
Sunflowersby Vincent van Gogh
Fifteen flowers in a vase, almost shadowless yellows and a material so thick that each seed seems to retain the painter's gesture. Behind this familiar image hides a larger story: seven paintings by Arles, a project to accommodate Gauguin and the fragile dream of an artists' studio in the South.
The first thing to understand
"Les Tournesols" is the name of a family of works
When we talk about Sunflowers of Van Gogh, we most often think of the version from the National Gallery in London: fifteen flowers in a yellow vase, in front of a background almost as yellow. However, Van Gogh did not paint a single canvas but a series. In Arles, he produced four compositions in August 1888, then three rehearsals in January 1889.
The National Gallery therefore has seven Arlesian versions. Five are now on display in museums: London, Amsterdam, Munich, Philadelphia and Tokyo. Another belongs to a private collection and has not been shown for several generations; the version acquired in Japan in 1921 was destroyed during World War II.
This series from Arles must itself be distinguished from the sunflowers painted in Paris in 1887. In these previous studies, the flowers are cut and placed on a table, sometimes faded or mounted as seeds. In Arles, Van Gogh straightens the pattern: the sunflowers enter a vase, gain a colorful background and become panels of a decorative project.
Understanding Sunflowers means moving from an isolated icon to a whole thought of as a decoration - a rhythm of canvases, colors and meanings.
The Yellow House and the Studio du Sud
Flowers prepared for Gauguin's arrival
In 1888, Van Gogh lived in Arles and dreamed of a community of artists working together. Sunflowers must give a visual identity to this future workshop.
A workshop in the South
Van Gogh imagines Arles as the starting point of an artists' association. He hopes that Gauguin will join him, then that other painters will form a solidarity workshop around them.
Paint before the flowers fade
In his letter to Theo of August 21 or 22, 1888, Vincent explains that he works as soon as the sun rises. The bouquets deteriorate quickly: each panel must be finished "at once".
A room for Gauguin
Two large bouquets, those today in Munich and London, are intended for the guest bedroom. Yellow must welcome, warm and make the room a pictorial manifesto.
A dream soon shattered
Gauguin arrives October 23. After nine weeks of work and tensions, their cohabitation ends in December. The Sunflowers retain light from the project before its collapse.
Watch the London version
Fifteen flowers, fifteen states of presence
Van Gogh paints less of a perfectly arranged bouquet than a complete cycle: birth, blossoming, loss of petals and transformation into seeds.
A very simple vase
The container is reduced to two yellow areas separated by a line. It anchors the bouquet without competing with it and bears the signature "Vincent" in blue.
The circle of flowers
The flower heads form a network of disks rather than a regular pyramid. Some look at the viewer, others tilt or turn in profile.
Life and decline
Bottom button not open yet; other flowers radiate; the heaviest have lost their petals. The bouquet therefore contains several tenses at the same time.
The table line
A simple horizontal separates the wall from the support. The space remains almost flat: all the depth comes from the overlapping stems, leaves and flowers.
Impasto
The centers are constructed by thick, repeated touches. The painting not only describes the seeds: it physically imitates their density.
The signature
Van Gogh signs his first name, as is often the case. "Vincent" appears on the vase and becomes a colorful element of the composition, not a mention added afterwards.
An almost monochrome painting
Yellow as light, matter and experience
Van Gogh uses several chrome yolks, ochres and light mixtures to vary a deliberately narrow range.
"A symphony in blue and yellow"
In his letters of August 1888, Van Gogh imagined panels where yellows would burst on backgrounds ranging from pale Veronese green to royal blue. He even compares the desired effect to that of Gothic stained glass windows. The series is therefore not born from a spontaneous taste for a single color: it comes from a decorative program where contrasts had to circulate from one canvas to another.
The London version pushes "clear on light" particularly far. Background, table, vase, petals and hearts use different yellows. The distinction no longer depends only on the hue, but on the direction of the fingerboard, thickness, dullness and fine blue or green lines.
Versions still visible
Five museums, five bouquets
Differences in number of flowers, background and key are not copy errors. They reveal how Van Gogh takes an idea and evolves it.
National Gallery
Fifteen flowers, light yellow background, one of two large versions planned for Gauguin's room.
Neue Pinakothek
Fourteen flowers on a yellow-green background, another large panel chosen for the Yellow House.
Van Gogh Museum
A repetition of the London bouquet, with differences in material, color and contours.
Philadelphia Museum of Art
A rehearsal linked to the decorative project associating the bouquets with La Berceuse.
Sompo Museum of Art
Another rehearsal on a yellow background, now kept in Japan.
| Group | Date | Current situation | What to remember |
|---|---|---|---|
| First version | August 1888 | Private collection | Three large sunflowers in a green vase, on a light background. |
| Second version | August 1888 | Destroyed in 1945 | Smaller bouquet on royal blue background; work disappeared during the war. |
| Munich | August 1888 | Neue Pinakothek | Large bouquet of fourteen flowers, designed for the Yellow House. |
| London | August 1888 | National Gallery | Fifteen flowers and famous yellow on yellow harmony. |
| Repetitions | January 1889 | Amsterdam, Philadelphia, Tokyo | Three covers that Van Gogh considered works in their own right. |
More than a happy bouquet
Friendship, gratitude, cycle of life
Sunflowers are often presented as a simple symbol of joy. The color, the Provençal sun and Van Gogh's enthusiasm while waiting for Gauguin justify this reading. But the bouquet also contains faded flowers, stripped of their petals and already transformed into seeds.
The National Gallery brings this cycle closer to the tradition of vanity in Dutch floral painting: every flowering carries with it the passage of time. The painting therefore does not only proclaim vitality. It shows the entire life of the sunflower, from the closed bud to the dry flower head, and transforms the end into the promise of new seeds.
The flower also took on a personal value for Van Gogh. Gauguin appreciated it; Vincent associated it with his own language and wrote in January 1889 that he "sort of" had the sunflower as other painters have their flowers. The motif becomes a signature, emblem of a painter who seeks an immediately recognizable color.
Finally, the rehearsals of January 1889 were to dialogue with The Lullaby, portrait of Augustine Roulin holding the rope of a cradle. Placed between two bouquets, the maternal figure would have been surrounded by flowers capable of evoking consolation, gratitude and continuity. The Sunflowers therefore never form a fixed meaning: welcome for Gauguin, artistic affirmation, meditation on time and protective decor can coexist.
The essential chronology
From Paris to the global icon
Current fame results from a motif taken up, exhibited, collected and distributed well after Arles' stay.
Where to see Sunflowers?
A series scattered across three continents
No museum owns the entire series. Seeing several versions allows you to compare decisions that reproductions sometimes make invisible.
Five main destinations
The National Gallery in London retains the most reproduced 1888 version; the Neue Pinakothek in Munich has the other large bouquet of the first group. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Sompo Museum of Art in Tokyo preserve the 1889 rehearsals.
Hangings may change, particularly due to loans and exhibitions. In 2026, the London version was announced on loan to Philadelphia for an exhibition dedicated to the series. So always check the official museum page before traveling.
Install the sun without saturating the room
How to exhibit a reproduction of Sunflowers
The canvas has a dense palette and immediate presence. It works better as a focal point than as an element added to an already very busy wall.
| Clear wall | An off-white, linen or warm beige lets the yellow shine while maintaining a soft atmosphere. |
|---|---|
| Blue wall | Petroleum blue, gray blue or Prussian blue create the complementary contrast imagined by Van Gogh in his letters. |
| Green wall | An olive green or sage is reminiscent of stems and balances yolks without making the whole thing too spectacular. |
| Frame | Light wood, medium oak, deep blue or black American case. Glossy gilding can compete with paint. |
| Lighting | Warm, side light highlights impasto; avoid a frontal spot which flattens the material with reflections. |
| Piece | Dining room, living room, entrance or open kitchen: living spaces consistent with the decorative vocation of the painting. |
Oil painting reproduction
The Sunflowers - Vincent van Gogh
Find the National Gallery version, its yellow vase, its fifteen flowers and its expressive impasto in a hand-made painting.
See reproduction and formatsExplore the store
Compare Sunflowers and continue with Van Gogh
The different versions, Parisian studies and flower collections allow you to choose a bouquet, a palette and a composition truly suited to your interior.
Sunflowers · London
The yellow on yellow version of fifteen flowers.
First series · MunichSunflower vase
Compare the other large sign provided for the Yellow House.
Paris · 1887Four faded sunflowers
Discover the pattern before the big bouquets of Arles.
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Verified sources
Read Sunflowers with museums and letters
The dates, number of versions, materials and decorative project are based on the National Gallery and the scientific edition of Van Gogh's correspondence.
National Gallery
Complete instructions for the London version, dimensions, series, Gauguin, flower cycle and provenance.
Consult the instructionsSearch on both versions
Comparison of London and Amsterdam canvases, x-rays, pigments and working method.
Explore Technical StudyLetter 666 to Theo
Van Gogh describes the bouquets in progress, his decorative project and the need to work before the flowers fade.
Read August 1888 letterLetter 744 to Theo
The rehearsals of January 1889 and their presentation around the versions of La Berceuse.
Read the letter of January 1889Frequently asked questions
Understanding Van Gogh's Sunflowers
The essential answers on their date, their number, their color, Gauguin and the museums which preserve them.
When did Van Gogh paint The Sunflowers?
Van Gogh painted four versions in Arles in August 1888, then three rehearsals in January 1889. He had already carried out studies of cut sunflowers in Paris in 1887.
How many versions of Sunflowers are there?
The Arles bouquet series has seven versions. Five are exhibited in museums, one belongs to a private collection and one was destroyed during the Second World War.
Why did Van Gogh paint this series?
He wanted to decorate the Yellow House and welcome Paul Gauguin as part of his artistic community project, the Studio du Sud. The rehearsals of 1889 were also to dialogue with La Berceuse.
Where is the most famous version?
The version of fifteen flowers painted in August 1888 belongs to the National Gallery in London. However, its hanging may change in the event of a temporary loan.
What are the dimensions of London Sunflowers?
The canvas measures 92.1 centimeters high by 73 centimeters wide. It is painted in oil on canvas and bears the signature "Vincent" on the vase.
What do sunflowers symbolize in Van Gogh?
They can evoke friendship, welcome, gratitude and joy, but also the cycle of life: the bouquet brings together buds, open flowers and flower heads that have already faded or gone to seed.
Why does the painting contain so much yellow?
Van Gogh experiments with a harmony of light on light with several chrome yellows, ochres and blue or green accents. The material and direction of the keys make it possible to distinguish the shapes.
Did Van Gogh paint the Sunflowers in front of Gauguin?
Gauguin depicted Vincent painting sunflowers, but the scene is reconstructed: the flower season was over and Van Gogh did not work on the series during their two months of cohabitation in Arles.
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