Van Gogh's 'Red Cabbages and Onions' Renamed After Chef Spots Garlic
A Dutch chef's keen eye has led to the renaming of a Vincent van Gogh painting at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Ernst de Witte, chef at Utrecht restaurant Feu and a visual artist, noticed during a visit six months ago that the still life 'Red Cabbages and Onions' (1887) actually depicted heads of garlic, not onions. He sent the museum a detailed PowerPoint presentation comparing the work with van Gogh's 'Still Life with a Plate of Onions' (1889), analyzing shape, color, and the thin lines delineating garlic cloves. The museum's research team, with an independent researcher, confirmed de Witte's theory. The painting is now titled 'Red Cabbages and Garlic.' Inspired, de Witte created the artwork 'Vincent's Dinner' and a limited-edition dish at Feu featuring stewed and grilled red cabbage over garlic cream, dressed with oil infused with lemon balm and van Gogh's favorite liquor, absinthe.
Key facts
- Chef Ernst de Witte identified garlic instead of onions in van Gogh's painting.
- The painting 'Red Cabbages and Onions' (1887) is now called 'Red Cabbages and Garlic'.
- De Witte sent a PowerPoint presentation to the Van Gogh Museum.
- The museum's research team and an independent researcher confirmed the finding.
- De Witte is also a visual artist and created 'Vincent's Dinner'.
- A limited-edition dish at Feu restaurant features red cabbage and garlic with absinthe.
- The dish is on the menu until May.
- The discovery was made six months prior to the article's publication.
Entities
Artists
- Vincent van Gogh
- Ernst de Witte
Institutions
- Van Gogh Museum
- Feu
Locations
- Amsterdam
- Utrecht
- Netherlands