London National Gallery Loans Van Gogh Sunflowers to Philadelphia Museum
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is set to host a unique exhibition featuring its own version of Van Gogh's Sunflowers from January 1889, alongside the National Gallery in London’s Sunflowers from August 1888. This marks a historic moment as it's the first time the London artwork has traveled to the U.S. The exhibition, titled Van Gogh’s Sunflowers: A Symphony in Blue and Yellow, will run from June 6 to October 11 and explore the evolution of Van Gogh's exhibition methods. Since 1924, the London piece has only been loaned internationally four times. Interestingly, the Philadelphia Museum plans to lend its Sunflowers to the National Gallery in 2024. Additionally, a Van Gogh drawing, Woman with a Bonnet from late 1882 to early 1883, will be on display at La Boverie in Liège, Belgium, until August 23.
Key facts
- London National Gallery's Van Gogh Sunflowers (August 1888) crosses the Atlantic for the first time.
- Philadelphia Museum of Art's Sunflowers (January 1889) is a copy made after Gauguin's departure.
- The reciprocal loan follows Philadelphia's 2024 loan to the National Gallery's Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers.
- The London painting has been lent abroad only four times since 1924: Paris (1955), Amsterdam (2002, 2013), Japan/Australia (2020-21).
- The Philadelphia Sunflowers was acquired by the museum in 1963 as a bequest from Helen Tyson.
- Conservator Teresa Lignelli found traces of yellow-orange paint on the Philadelphia Sunflowers' edges.
- Van Gogh's drawing Woman with a Bonnet is on rare display at La Boverie, Liège, until 23 August.
- The drawing depicts Maria Hoornik, mother of Sien, Van Gogh's lover.
Entities
Artists
- Vincent van Gogh
- Paul Gauguin
- Augustine Roulin
- Theo van Gogh
- Jo Bonger
- Antoine de La Rochefoucauld
- Carroll Tyson
- Helen Tyson
- Louis Madeira IV
- Jennifer Thompson
- Teresa Lignelli
- Albert de Neuville
- C.M. van Gogh
- Maria Hoornik
- Sien Hoornik
- Eugénie de La Rochefoucauld
Institutions
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- National Gallery, London
- Museum of Fine Arts Boston
- Alte Pinakothek, Munich
- Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo
- La Boverie, Liège
- Musée des Beaux-Arts de Liège
- The Art Newspaper
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Barnes Foundation
Locations
- Philadelphia
- United States
- London
- United Kingdom
- Paris
- France
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Japan
- Australia
- Arles
- The Hague
- Liège
- Belgium
- Martigny
- Switzerland
- Brescia
- Italy
- Boston
- Munich
- Germany
- Otterlo
- New York