What Color Are Van Gogh's Irises?
In honor of spring, the Gazette turns to the subject of flowers in art. This week: Vincent van Gogh's iconic blooms.
This essay is the first in the series Flowers in Art. To read future essays in this series and gain access to the full archive, become a paid subscriber today:
In 2024, the Getty Museum held a special exhibition, featuring one of the crown jewels of its vast collections. “Ultra-Violet: New Light on Van Gogh’s Irises” showcased the exciting research conducted by the Getty Conservation Institute on one of Vincent van Gogh’s beloved floral studies.
Irises was painted in 1889, during the artist’s stay at an asylum in Saint-Rémy, France. The doctor who ran the asylum, housed in the Monastery of Saint Paul de Mausole, ensured that Van Gogh had an additional room to use as a studio. Many of his most famous works were painted there in 1889, including The Starry Night and Cypruses.
The garden at the asylum also proved to be a fertile source of inspiration. When the artist’s younger brother, Theo van Gogh, saw Irises, he submitted it to the S…