15 Intriguing Details About Vincent van Gogh’s Iconic ‘Sunflowers’

The 19th-century Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh possessed a distinctive worldview, which he expressed through his stunning Post-Impressionist artworks. Before captivating global audiences and even prior to painting The Starry Night, this enigmatic artist immersed himself in the surreal and captivating beauty of his Sunflowers series.

On October 14, 2022, the renowned Sunflowers underwent an unexpected transformation when two Just Stop Oil activists, protesting against fossil fuels, entered London’s National Gallery and splattered the masterpiece with two cans of Campbell’s tomato soup (a nod to Andy Warhol’s aesthetic, perhaps). They then glued themselves to the wall beneath the painting. The Gallery released a statement confirming that while the frame sustained “minor damage,” the painting itself—valued at approximately $84.2 million—remained unharmed thanks to its protective glazing.

Here are 15 lesser-known facts about this celebrated piece of art.

1. Sunflowers is not just one painting.

The Sunflowers collection includes two distinct series. The initial group, referred to as The Paris Sunflowers, consists of four pieces. These were painted while van Gogh resided with his brother Theo in Paris, before relocating to Arles in southern France in 1888. That same year, in August, van Gogh started the Arles Sunflowers series while staying in a yellow house with four rooms.

2. Telling the two series apart is quite straightforward.

The Arles Sunflowers depict the flowers standing upright in vases, while the Paris series shows them resting on the ground.

3. The Arles Sunflowers were created specifically for Paul Gauguin.

Paul Gauguin, the renowned French Post-Impressionist artist, was both a friend and a respected peer of van Gogh. The two corresponded frequently, and in their letters, they arranged for Gauguin to visit Arles in October 1888 to collaborate. In anticipation of Gauguin’s visit, van Gogh aimed to adorn the Yellow House with paintings to impress his guest. The first series he created for this purpose was the sunflowers.

4. Gauguin was deeply impressed.

Gauguin praised the Sunflowers, calling them “a flawless representation of Vincent’s unique style.” After spending two months in Arles, Gauguin proposed exchanging one of his own works for one of van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

5. Van Gogh was deeply passionate about working on Sunflowers.

Despite battling mental illness and overwhelming self-doubt, the artist discovered immense joy in painting the Arles Sunflowers. In August 1888, he wrote to his dear brother Theo, “I am painting with the fervor of a Marseillais enjoying bouillabaisse, which won’t surprise you when you learn that I’m painting sunflowers.”

6. Van Gogh originally intended to produce 12 sunflower paintings in Arles.

In the same letter to Theo, Vincent shared, “If I succeed in this plan, there will be a dozen panels. The entire collection will be a symphony in blue and yellow. I work on it every morning from sunrise because the flowers wither so quickly.”

Van Gogh completed four paintings that month. Later, in January 1889, he returned to the theme with three works known as The Repetitions, as they were replicas of his third and fourth versions from the August series.

7. Only five of the Arles Sunflowers are known to exist today.

By 1889, van Gogh had created seven Arles Sunflowers, including the initial versions and their repetitions. However, two of these paintings have since been lost. The first was acquired by a private collector, while the second was tragically destroyed in a fire during World War II. Today, when museums mention the Arles Sunflowers, they are referring to the third and fourth original versions, along with the three Repetitions.

8. The Arles Sunflowers are part of a broader series of artworks.

Rather than completing a dozen sunflower panels, van Gogh transitioned from his Sunflowers to a series of portraits, including Joseph Roulin (The Postmaster), Patience Escalier (The Old Peasant), and Paul-Eugène Milliet (The Lover).

Following this, he produced a collection known as Toiles de 30-Décoration. These works, all painted on size 30 canvases, covered a range of subjects such as gardens, bedrooms, portraits, and even a depiction of the yellow house. This group of paintings was collectively referred to as “Décoration for the Yellow House.” Most were created before van Gogh’s infamous breakdown that winter, when he severed part of his ear.

9. Van Gogh envisioned his Arles Sunflowers as part of a triptych.

In January 1889, van Gogh wrote to Theo, describing how the third and fourth Sunflowers from Arles would perfectly complement his first repetition of Berceuse, a portrait of a woman in a rocking chair. He explained, “I imagine these canvases placed between the sunflower paintings, creating the effect of torches or candelabra beside them.” He even included a sketch of his vision, which he later brought to life at the 1890 art exhibition Les XX.

10. Sunflowers showcased revolutionary use of color.

Art experts continue to admire the intricate detail and depth van Gogh achieved by layering various shades of yellow. As the BBC highlighted, these colors were groundbreaking at the time: “The creation of these paintings was made possible by 19th-century advancements in manufactured pigments. Without the brilliance of new colors like chrome yellow, van Gogh might never have captured the intensity seen in Sunflowers.” Conversely, without an artist like van Gogh, these pigments might never have reached their full potential.

11. Van Gogh did not sell any of his Sunflowers during his lifetime.

Throughout his life, van Gogh sold only one self-portrait and The Red Vineyard at Arles, which was part of his Décoration for the Yellow House series. After his death on July 29, 1890, all of his Sunflowers were inherited by Theo.

12. Sunflowers rank among the artist’s most celebrated works.

Sunflowers are exhibited worldwide. The Paris series can be viewed at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Switzerland’s Museum of Fine Arts Bern, and the Netherlands’s Kröller-Müller Museum. One of the original Arles series is housed in London’s National Gallery, while the other resides in Munich’s Neue Pinakothek. The Repetitions are showcased at the Van Gogh Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Tokyo’s SOMPO Museum of Art.

13. In 2014, museums joined forces to reunite the Sunflowers.

The widespread distribution of van Gogh’s Sunflowers allows people globally to appreciate them. However, the downside is that few will ever experience them as a unified collection, as van Gogh intended. In 2014, this changed briefly when two of these masterpieces were brought together for a special exhibition in London. The Van Gogh Museum loaned their Repetitions piece to the National Gallery, marking the first reunion of these works in nearly six decades.

14. Exhibiting the Sunflowers together poses significant challenges.

Van Gogh expert Martin Bailey told The Telegraph that there are two main reasons why displaying the Sunflowers as a series is difficult. “First, they are extremely fragile, and conservation concerns often prevent them from traveling except in rare cases. Second, they are among the most beloved paintings in their respective galleries, making institutions hesitant to let them go.”

15. Modern technology has made it possible to showcase the entire Sunflowers collection to a global audience.

In 2017, the National Gallery used Facebook Live to create a “virtual exhibition” featuring five of the Arles Sunflowers. This innovative event included curators presenting their respective paintings and delivering 15-minute lectures to an online audience. It was the first time so many Sunflowers were displayed together since they left Theo’s possession, marking a full-circle moment for van Gogh’s iconic works, from their revolutionary use of color to their modern digital showcase.