''Irises'' is one of several paintings of irises by the Dutch artist

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...

, and one of a series of paintings he made at the Saint Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-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. 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. The painting was probably influenced by Japanese ''

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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 (not modeled according to the fall of light). The painting is full of softness and lightness. Irises is full of life without tragedy. 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

Société des Artistes Indépendants The Société des Artistes Indépendants (''Society of Independent Artists'') or Salon des Indépendants was formed in Paris on 29 July 1884. The association began with the organization of massive exhibitions in Paris, choosing the slogan "''sans ...

in September 1889, together with ''

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''. He wrote to Vincent of the exhibition: " tstrikes the eye from afar. The Irises are a beautiful study full of air and life." The painting is one of his most renowned works.

Provenance

The first owner was Julien "Père" Tanguy, a paint grinder and art dealer whose portrait van Gogh painted three times. In 1892 Tanguy sold ''Irises'' to

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and

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Octave Mirbeau Octave Mirbeau (16 February 1848 – 16 February 1917) was a French novelist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, journalist and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, whilst still appealing to the ...

who was also one of Van Gogh's first supporters. Mirbeau paid 300 francs for it. In 1987, 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 Alan Bond (22 April 1938 – 5 June 2015) was an English-born Australian businessman noted for his high-profile and often corrupt business dealings. These included his central role in the WA Inc scandals of the 1980s, and what was at the time ...

, 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.Kimmelman, Michael
Getty buys van Gogh "Irises," but won't tell price.
''New York Times'', March 22, 1990. Retrieved March 20, 2011. ''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.

References

External links

''Van Gogh, paintings and drawings: a special loan exhibition''
a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, which contains material on this painting (see index)
''Irises'' (Van Gogh)
- Check123 - Video Encyclopedia (video) {{ACArt Paintings by Vincent van Gogh Paintings of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence by Vincent van Gogh 1889 paintings Paintings in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum Flower paintings ku:Pizîlaq