''View of the Asylum and Chapel of Saint-Rémy'' is an oil on canvas painting by
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 ...
that he painted in autumn 1889 at
Saint-Rémy, France, where he had voluntarily incarcerated himself in
a lunatic asylum.
The painting was originally thought to be a view of the church at
Labbeville, near
Auvers, where he moved following his stay at the asylum, but it is now accepted to be a view of the asylum and church at Saint-Rémy. It may have been among the 'autumn studies' mentioned in Vincent's letter to his brother
Theo
Theo is a given name and a hypocorism.
Greek origin
Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example:
*Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...
of 7 December 1889.
According to Ronald Pickvance, "the view is unique in van Gogh's entire
Saint-Remy oeuvre. It is the only work that affords a glimpse of the Romanesque tower of the original Augustinian monastery; in this respect, it can be compared with several views of the Romanesque tower of Saint-Trophime in Arles (e.g.,
F409,
F515). Stylistically, it can be compared with ''
Entrance to a Quarry".
The painting was in the collection of the actress
Elizabeth Taylor, on display in her living room. In 2003 the heirs of German Jewish art collector
Margarete Mauthner filed a claim against Taylor for Van Gogh's ''View of the Hospice'' and the ''Chapel of Saint-Remy''. Elizabeth Taylor's father, Francis Lenn Taylor, an art dealer, had acquired it in 1963. The claim was dismissed and the painting was sold at auction in 2012 following her death for $15,991,575.
[ Christie's, LotFinder: entr]
5532359
(sale 8049, lot 12, London, 7 February 2012)
References
Bibliography
* de la Faille, Jacob-Baart. ''The Works of Vincent van Gogh: His Paintings and Drawings''. Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1970.
* Hulsker, Jan. ''The Complete Van Gogh''. Oxford: Phaidon, 1980.
* Naifeh, Steven; Smith, Gregory White. ''Van Gogh: The Life''. Profile Books, 2011.
{{DEFAULTSORT:View of the Asylum and Chapel of Saint-Remy
Paintings by Vincent van Gogh
Paintings of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence by Vincent van Gogh
1889 paintings
