Vincent van Gogh's display at Les XX, 1890
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Vincent van Gogh's display at Les XX, 1890, in Brussels is an important testament to the recognition he received amongst avant-garde peers during his own lifetime. Participation in the annual exhibition of Les XX
was for members and by invitation only. Van Gogh's choice proves that he was going for more than a simple selection of paintings he considered superior, but that he was willing to provide a well reasoned summary of his years of work in Provence. Evidently this notion remained neglected, and even more: it was washed away by the scandal his works provoked. Then the same works were again shown at the annual exhibition of the Artistes Indépendants in Paris which offered space for an expansion of the display: this was done by Theo van Gogh
, the brother of Vincent, who was suffering from long lasting mental problems.
, dated November 15, 1889, there is a pencil sketch that gives some hints for the display Van Gogh proposed, and for its artistic background. His reply to Maus, dated (?) November 20, 1889, supplied the titles later printed in the catalogue, but did not point out the arrangement he intended:
Fortunately, the missing information can easily be compiled from other parts of Van Gogh's correspondence; there is now agreement that Van Gogh's exhibit can be reconstructed in the order of paintings below:
Ivy, the center piece of Van Gogh's arrangement, has been lost without trace since World War II; Hermann Göring
is the last person photographed (by Hans Hoffmann
) with this canvas, while it was stored, together with other works of art confiscated from French Jewish collections, in the Jeu de Paume
Galleries. Van Gogh indicated his two Sunflowers (size 30 canvases) were to be displayed either side of Ivy. To the left and right of this upright triptych, he wanted to place the Flowering Orchard and the Wheat Field at Sunrise. Finally, he indicated Red Vineyard was to be hung (at the top or) underneath this arrangement.
.
These seasonal links are set not only in subject matter, but — and from Van Gogh's point of view even more important — reinforced by the choice of colour. Each of the six paintings is dominated by one of the six primary colours (yellow, red, blue, and their complementaries orange, green, and violet). He uses yellow and orange in the two Sunflowers-versions, red in the vineyard, green in the ivy, blue in the orchard, and violet in the field. Thus, the full colour spectrum is manifested in this selection, which can consequently be read as a single entity, "a whole" (French: un tout).
Earlier this year, Van Gogh had already expressed his wish before returning to the North to summarise his "impressions of Provence".
The exhibition of Les XX opened January 18, running till February 23. Two days before the opening, Henry de Groux
announced that his works would not be seen side by side with the "abominable Pot of Sunflowers by Monsieur Vincent or any other agent provocateur". At the opening dinner, De Groux once again attacked Van Gogh's paintings and called him
That same evening, Les XX expelled De Groux from their association; the next day he apologised and was allowed to resign. Thus the duel was averted, and Paul Signac
was soon one of two supplementary members elected to Les XX.
One work of Van Gogh's exhibit was sold, The Red Vineyard
. The buyer was Anna Boch
, a painter and member of Les XX
since its foundation and sister of Eugène Boch
, who was also a painter and a friend of Vincent van Gogh.
, collaborating closely with Les XX
in Brussels, were eager to present Van Gogh to the public in Paris in an even broader scale, and finally showed ten paintings in their 6th annual exhibition, March 20 through April 27, 1890:
Evidently, the first part of Van Gogh's exhibit (832. - 837.) was now chosen by Theo, while the remainders from Brussels were added (838. - 841.) at the end of this selection, excluding one version of the "Sunflowers" (and "The Red Vineyard" sold in Brussels).
Again, Van Gogh exhibit was the clou of the show: Gauguin, Guillaumin
and other colleagues proposed to exchange works; Duez sent his compliments; and Theo wrote to Vincent that Monet had said, "your pictures were the best of all in the exhibition".
Some of Van Gogh's paintings in the Artistes Indépendants show
Les XX
Les XX was a group of twenty Belgian painters, designers and sculptors, formed in 1883 by the Brussels lawyer, publisher, and entrepreneur Octave Maus. For ten years 'Les Vingt' , as they called themselves, held an annual exhibition of their art; each year twenty international artists were also...
was for members and by invitation only. Van Gogh's choice proves that he was going for more than a simple selection of paintings he considered superior, but that he was willing to provide a well reasoned summary of his years of work in Provence. Evidently this notion remained neglected, and even more: it was washed away by the scandal his works provoked. Then the same works were again shown at the annual exhibition of the Artistes Indépendants in Paris which offered space for an expansion of the display: this was done by Theo van Gogh
Theo van Gogh (art dealer)
Theodorus "Theo" van Gogh was a Dutch art dealer. He was the younger brother of Vincent van Gogh, and Theo's unfailing financial and emotional support allowed his brother to devote himself entirely to painting...
, the brother of Vincent, who was suffering from long lasting mental problems.
Paintings included
In November 1889, Van Gogh selected six of his paintings, all size 30 canvases, to be displayed at Les XX, in 1890. On the back of the letter of invitation from Octave MausOctave Maus
Octave Maus was a Belgian art critic, writer, and lawyer.Maus worked with fellow writer/lawyer Edmond Picard, and they together with Victor Arnould and Eugène Robert founded the weekly L'Art moderne in 1881....
, dated November 15, 1889, there is a pencil sketch that gives some hints for the display Van Gogh proposed, and for its artistic background. His reply to Maus, dated (?) November 20, 1889, supplied the titles later printed in the catalogue, but did not point out the arrangement he intended:
- 1. Tournesols - Sunflowers
- 2. Tournesols - Sunflowers
- 3. Le lierre - Ivy
- 4. Verger en fleurs (Arles) - Flowering Orchard (Arles)
- 5. Champ de blé; soleil levant (Saint-Remy) - Wheat Field, Sunrise (Saint-Rémy)
- 6. La Vigne rouge (Mont-Major) (!) - Red Vineyard (Mont-Majour)
Fortunately, the missing information can easily be compiled from other parts of Van Gogh's correspondence; there is now agreement that Van Gogh's exhibit can be reconstructed in the order of paintings below:
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View of Arles, Flowering Orchards View of Arles, Flowering Orchards is a painting by Vincent van Gogh, executed in spring 1889, one of several paintings he produced on the subject of Flowering Orchards while living in Arles... (Arles, Spring 1889). Neue Pinakothek Neue Pinakothek The Neue Pinakothek is an art museum in Munich, Germany. Its focus is European Art of the 18th and 19th century and is one of the most important museums of art of the nineteenth century in the world... , Munich, Germany. |
Sunflowers (series of paintings) Sunflowers are the subject of two series of still life paintings by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. The earlier series executed in Paris in 1887 gives the flowers lying on the ground, while the second set executed a year later in Arles shows bouquets of sunflowers in a vase... (Arles, August 1888). National Gallery, London, United Kingdom. |
Sunflowers (series of paintings) Sunflowers are the subject of two series of still life paintings by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. The earlier series executed in Paris in 1887 gives the flowers lying on the ground, while the second set executed a year later in Arles shows bouquets of sunflowers in a vase... (Arles, August 1888). Neue Pinakothek Neue Pinakothek The Neue Pinakothek is an art museum in Munich, Germany. Its focus is European Art of the 18th and 19th century and is one of the most important museums of art of the nineteenth century in the world... , Munich, Germany. |
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The Red Vineyard The Red Vineyard is an oil painting by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, executed on a privately-primed Toile de 30 piece of burlap in early November 1888... (Arles, November 1888). Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts |
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Ivy, the center piece of Van Gogh's arrangement, has been lost without trace since World War II; Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
is the last person photographed (by Hans Hoffmann
Hans Hoffmann
Hans Hoffmann was an SS-Rottenführer and member of staff at Auschwitz concentration camp. He was prosecuted at the Auschwitz Trial....
) with this canvas, while it was stored, together with other works of art confiscated from French Jewish collections, in the Jeu de Paume
Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume
The Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume is a museum of contemporary art in the north-west corner of the Tuileries Gardens in Paris.The building was constructed in 1861 during the reign of Napoleon III...
Galleries. Van Gogh indicated his two Sunflowers (size 30 canvases) were to be displayed either side of Ivy. To the left and right of this upright triptych, he wanted to place the Flowering Orchard and the Wheat Field at Sunrise. Finally, he indicated Red Vineyard was to be hung (at the top or) underneath this arrangement.
"Impressions of Provence"
The four landscapes depict traditional notions of the four seasons: flowering trees in spring, a shaded hiding place in the midst of ivy in summer, the vineyard harvest in autumn, and new wheat on the furrows in winter. In between the seasons were embedded the heraldic flowers of Provence — sunflowers, dear to the artistic and literary circles of the Félibres, the néo-provencal movement around Frédéric MistralFrédéric Mistral
Frédéric Mistral was a French writer and lexicographer of the Occitan language. Mistral won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1904 and was a founding member of Félibrige and a member of l'Académie de Marseille...
.
These seasonal links are set not only in subject matter, but — and from Van Gogh's point of view even more important — reinforced by the choice of colour. Each of the six paintings is dominated by one of the six primary colours (yellow, red, blue, and their complementaries orange, green, and violet). He uses yellow and orange in the two Sunflowers-versions, red in the vineyard, green in the ivy, blue in the orchard, and violet in the field. Thus, the full colour spectrum is manifested in this selection, which can consequently be read as a single entity, "a whole" (French: un tout).
Earlier this year, Van Gogh had already expressed his wish before returning to the North to summarise his "impressions of Provence".
Scandal and success
Henry de Groux
Henry de Groux was a Belgian Symbolist painter, sculptor and lithographer. His 1889 painting Christ aux Outrages, widely described as his masterwork, depicted Jesus being attacked by a mob...
announced that his works would not be seen side by side with the "abominable Pot of Sunflowers by Monsieur Vincent or any other agent provocateur". At the opening dinner, De Groux once again attacked Van Gogh's paintings and called him
- an ignoramus and a charlatan. At the other end of the table Lautrec suddenly bounced up, with his arms in the air, and shouted that it was an outrage to criticize so great an artist. De Groux retorted. Tumult. Seconds were appointed. Signac announced coldly that if Lautrec were killed he would assume the quarrel himself.
That same evening, Les XX expelled De Groux from their association; the next day he apologised and was allowed to resign. Thus the duel was averted, and Paul Signac
Paul Signac
Paul Signac was a French neo-impressionist painter who, working with Georges Seurat, helped develop the pointillist style.-Biography:Paul Victor Jules Signac was born in Paris on 11 November 1863...
was soon one of two supplementary members elected to Les XX.
One work of Van Gogh's exhibit was sold, The Red Vineyard
The Red Vineyard
The Red Vineyard is an oil painting by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, executed on a privately-primed Toile de 30 piece of burlap in early November 1888...
. The buyer was Anna Boch
Anna Boch
Anna Rosalie Boch was a Belgian painter, born in Saint-Vaast, Hainaut. Anna Boch died in Ixelles in 1936 and is interred there in the Ixelles Cemetery, Brussels, Belgium.-Artistic style:...
, a painter and member of Les XX
Les XX
Les XX was a group of twenty Belgian painters, designers and sculptors, formed in 1883 by the Brussels lawyer, publisher, and entrepreneur Octave Maus. For ten years 'Les Vingt' , as they called themselves, held an annual exhibition of their art; each year twenty international artists were also...
since its foundation and sister of Eugène Boch
Eugène Boch
Eugène Boch was a Belgian painter, born in Saint-Waast, Nord, Hainaut, and the younger brother of Anna Boch, a founding member of Les XX....
, who was also a painter and a friend of Vincent van Gogh.
Altered exhibit at the Artistes Indépendants
The Artistes IndépendantsSociété des Artistes Indépendants
—The Société des Artistes Indépendants formed in Paris in summer 1884 choosing the device "No jury nor awards" . Albert Dubois-Pillet, Odilon Redon, Georges Seurat and Paul Signac were among its founders...
, collaborating closely with Les XX
Les XX
Les XX was a group of twenty Belgian painters, designers and sculptors, formed in 1883 by the Brussels lawyer, publisher, and entrepreneur Octave Maus. For ten years 'Les Vingt' , as they called themselves, held an annual exhibition of their art; each year twenty international artists were also...
in Brussels, were eager to present Van Gogh to the public in Paris in an even broader scale, and finally showed ten paintings in their 6th annual exhibition, March 20 through April 27, 1890:
- 832. Le cyprès. - The Cypres
- 833. Paysage montagneux en Provence. - Mountain landscape in Provence
- 834. Rue à Saint-Rémy. - Street in Saint-Rémy
- 835. Les Alpines. (!) - The Alpilles
- 836. Promenade à Arles. - Promenade in Arles
- 837. Mûrier en automne. - Mulberry tree in autumn
- 838. Sous-bois. - Underwoods
- 839. Lever de soleil en Provence. - Sunrise in Provence
- 840. Les Tournesols. - The Sunflowers
- 841. Verger d'oliviers en Provence. - Olive orchard in Provence
Evidently, the first part of Van Gogh's exhibit (832. - 837.) was now chosen by Theo, while the remainders from Brussels were added (838. - 841.) at the end of this selection, excluding one version of the "Sunflowers" (and "The Red Vineyard" sold in Brussels).
Again, Van Gogh exhibit was the clou of the show: Gauguin, Guillaumin
Armand Guillaumin
Armand Guillaumin , was a French impressionist painter and lithographer.Born Jean-Baptiste Armand Guillaumin in Paris, he worked at his uncle's lingerie shop while attending evening drawing lessons. He also worked for a French government railway before studying at the Académie Suisse in 1861...
and other colleagues proposed to exchange works; Duez sent his compliments; and Theo wrote to Vincent that Monet had said, "your pictures were the best of all in the exhibition".
Some of Van Gogh's paintings in the Artistes Indépendants show