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Van Gogh’s Irises Painting Photo sourced from

10 Fascinating Facts about The Irises Painting by Van Gogh

Irises is one of several paintings of irises by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, and one of a series of paintings he made at the Saint Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-R茅my-de-Provence, France, in the last year before his death in 1890.Van Gogh started painting Irises within a month of entering the asylum, in May 1889, working from nature in the hospital garden. He considered this painting a study which is probably why there are no known drawings for it. 

Although Theo, Van Gogh’s brother, thought better of it and quickly submitted it to the annual exhibition of the Societe des Artistes Independants in September 1889, together with Starry Night Over the Rhone.The painting was probably influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints like many of his works and those by other artists of the time. The similarities occur with strong outlines, unusual angles, including close-up views, and also flattish local color. 

The painting is full of softness and lightness. Irises is full of life without tragedy. Let’s take a look at some of the most fascinating facts about this painting;

1.The ‘Irises” held the record for the most expensive artwork 1987

Van Gogh’s Irises Painting Photo sourced from

The ‘Irises” held the record for the most expensive artwork 1987 after overtaking another of Vincent’s artwork “the Sunflowers”which was a record breaker itself. It broke and set a new record when it sold for $53.9 million USD, which would be around $100 million in the current economy.

It became the most expensive painting ever sold, setting a record which stood for two and a half years.Then it was sold for US$53.9 million to Alan Bond, but Bond did not have enough money to pay for it. The Irises was later re-sold in 1990 to the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. It is is among Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous masterpieces. 

2.The Irises have been bought and sold several times 

Irises by Vincent Van Gogh Photo sourced from

Another very important fact about the Irises is that the painting has been bought and sold a dozen times, the last being a 1990 purchase by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, Calif., where the artwork remains to the present day. The first owner was Julien “Pere” Tanguy, a paint grinder and art dealer whose portrait van Gogh painted three times.

In 1892 Tanguy sold Irises to art critic and anarchist Octave Mirbeau who was also one of Van Gogh’s first supporters. Mirbeau paid 300 francs for it.Then it was sold for US$53.9 million to Alan Bond, but Bond did not have enough money to pay for it. Irises was later re-sold in 1990 to the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Irises is currently (as of 2022) thirty-first on the inflation-adjusted list of most expensive paintings ever sold and in 102nd place if the effects of inflation are ignored. 

3.The painting was done in an asylum 

The Irises paintings was among nearly 130 artworks Van Gogh completed during his stay in a mental institution at Saint-Remy the year prior to his death.”Irises” was infact the first painting Van Gogh started after arriving at the asylum. The flowers were growing in a garden in the small outdoor area where the artist was allowed to stroll and sit while in the asylum. 

Van Gogh started painting Irises within a month of entering the asylum, in May 1889, working from nature in the hospital garden. There is a lack of the high tension which is seen in his later works. He called painting “the lightning conductor for my illness” because he felt that he could keep himself from going insane by continuing to paint.

4.The irises were originally purple

The irises were originally purple.But as the red pigment has faded, they have turned blue. Van Gogh made two paintings of this bouquet. In the other still life, he contrasted purple and pink with green. For him, the painting was mainly a study in colour. He set out to achieve a powerful colour contrast.

By placing the purple flowers against a yellow background, he made the decorative forms stand out even more strongly. This painting which was supposedly a study by the artist has over the years become an important part of the art industry and is among the most rated and most famous of Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpieces.

5.The painting represents two groups of flowers 

It represents two groups of flowers, one in violet colour and the other in red. The irises touch each other except the lonely white one that is clearly separated from the others, and it is situated on the border between both groups of flowers.In the painting appear the three basic colours, red, blue and yellow. Theoretically the mixture of these colours would give white.

There’s an hypothetic diagonal line that, passing through the white iris separates both groups of flowers. When one looks beneath this line, to the irises or their leaves, the sight jumps from one point to another in a certain nervous movement. When on looks to the red flowers the sight rests and remains quiet.

6.The irises represent the world of the mentally ill people who are in the hospital

a self portrait of Vincent Van Gogh Photo sourced from

The irises represent the world of the mentally ill people who are in the hospital.The artist Vincent Van Gogh is a member of that community, but he is different, he looks like a madman but he is not mad like the others, he simply suffers of epilepsy, at least that was the doctor’s diagnosis by the time. He took himself to the Asylum, as a voluntary patient, and he will leave it by his own will. He is different, he is the white iris, so he is something separated from the others.

The red flowers represent the world formed by people who are sane, but as he doesn’t consider himself healthy enough to be included in this group because of his illness which had become a problem to him, so he paints himself on the border of both worlds. He is present and absent at the same time on both sides. He is, like the white colour, a mixture of both worlds.

7.鈥媀an Gogh created more paintings with irises as the main subject

A garden full of Irises where Van Gogh got his subject from,Photo sourced from

Van Gogh created more paintings with irises as the main subject. In the Metropolitan Museum of Art hangs the painting Irises and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has another version of a vase with irises. The National Gallery of Canada exhibits Iris, a painting with a single iris.In all, the artist did four studies of the iris.

The first, “Irises,” showed a bed of purple irises with a single white blossom, and the second, “The Iris” showed a smaller patch of the flowers with only a single blossom, both of which he painted soon after his arrival at Saint-Remy. The third and fourth artworks featuring irises, painted a year later, were still life treatments of cut flowers in vases. One had a vibrant yellow background while the other had a pink one.

8.”Irises” has been part of many art exhibitions throughout the world

“Irises” has been part of many art exhibitions throughout the world over the years, but only one of them, the 1889 Salon des Independents exhibition in 麻豆APP, occurred prior to Van Gogh’s death. His brother Theo had submitted it.The exhibitions include in 1892 – 1905 where it was sold to Auguste Pellerin. 

Others include in 1905,1925-1929,1929 – 1938/1939,1938/1939- 1945/1946,1945/1946-1947,1947-1975,1975-1987,1987-1990,1990  at an exhibition at Sotheby’s (New York) where it was sold to the J. Paul Getty Museum by private treaty sale, 1990.The painting has stayed there ever since. 

9.Each iris petal in the “Irises” painting is unique, featuring different shading, shape and size. Only one blossom, however, is a completely different color.Van Gogh’s Irises are unique in their own right with his style one of a kind. He used a style that not most people use to bring out his message making the Irises one if the best paintings in the art world. 

Van Gogh also created a balanced background for his first “Irises” painting, dividing the background into brown, purple, and green/yellow sections that impose order while underscoring the energy and motion of the purple blossoms and green leaves.This type of design makes him one of the most famous artists in the world though he did not enjoy the success in his lifetime. 

10.The painting was instantly admired by his brother Theo

The Irises painting was instantly admired by Van Gogh’s brother after he saw it and although both men had found it impossible to live together in 麻豆APP, Theo never stopped admiring his older brother Vincent’s work. He was an art dealer and ran an art dealership in 麻豆APP and had connections with several artists.

Irises was one of the paintings he exhibited in September 1889 at the yearly exhibition of the Soci茅t茅 des Artistes Ind茅pendants or simply 鈥淪alon des Ind茅pendants.鈥� The other was 鈥淪tarry Night over the Rh么ne,鈥� an evening scene in Arles.The Artistes Ind茅pendants are still active today, although the exhibitions seized to be held following World War I. These exhibitions played a major role in the development of modern art in the 20th century.

Vincent Van Gogh the artist behind the Irises and many famous paintings had love for painting that kept him going during the final decade of his life, but it wasn鈥檛 enough to keep him from going mad and taking his own life.Many of his most famous paintings somehow reflect his state of mind, which was often chaotic to put it euphemistically. This makes the Irises very special because it鈥檚 quite the opposite.