Sunday, April 15, 2012

Thinking of Vincent's "Irises"


©2012 Fay Terry
IRISES IN THE WIND
oil on gessobord panel, 6 x 6 inches


After I did this painting today, I thought about Van Gogh, and one of my favorite paintings, "Irises" which he painted in 1889 while undergoing treatment at an asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence.  His brother Theo left many of Vincent's paintings with Pere Tanguy, who owned an art gallery. After Vincent died and Theo's death followed soon after, a sale of Vincent's paintings was held for Theo's widow.  
Octave Mirbeau bought "Irises" and one other painting for six hundred francs in 1892.
Auguste Pellerin, a manufacturer of margarine, was the second owner and bought the painting in 1905.
A fashion designer, Jacques Doucet, bought "Irises" in 1925. After his death his widow sold his art collection and the painting was loaned to museums when Van Gogh Exhibitions were held.

It was purchased by Joan Whitney Payson in 1947, who was hesitant about the $80,000. price tag
.
 Payson's son inherited the painting in 1975 and placed it for auction in 1987 at which time it sold for $ 53.9 million to an Australian buyer, Alan Bond.  When Bond defaulted on the sale, the Getty Museum was able to acquire the painting for an undisclosed amount. It was then made part of the permanent collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum.  (image from Wikipedia)

Irises - Vincent van Gogh
Completion Date: 1889
Place of Creation: France



3 comments:

  1. I grow a lot of irises Fay and want to paint them, but have not had much success. Yours are beautiful and I appreciate all the info on Van Gogh. Hope you don't mind if I share it either on my blog or my fb page.

    Thanks,

    Sharon Graves

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    Replies
    1. I would love for you to share it, Sharon, and thanks for the comment. I drew them on the panel first very lightly with charcoal and decided not to worry about being too realistic. I only have a few planted and wish now that I had more-maybe next year!

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  2. I love the complementary color scheme and vibrant color. Beautiful work.

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