Van Gogh in detail
Vincent van Gogh, Women Picking Olives, November 1889. Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, Athens
Vincent van Gogh, Women Picking Olives, December 1889. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Chester Dale Collection
Vincent van Gogh, Women Picking Olives, december 1889. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Collection. Gift of Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg, 1995, Bequest of Walter H. Annenberg, 2002
Why did Van Gogh make three almost identical paintings of women picking olives?
Postcard of the olive harvest in Fontvieille, ca. 1930. Private collection
It wasn’t uncommon for Van Gogh to make multiple versions of paintings.
If he was pleased with a painting, he often made one or more copies.
One of these paintings was often for his brother Theo, to sell.
He sometimes also painted a version to give away, e.g. to his mother and sister. This meant that he could keep the original.
Detail uit: Vincent van Gogh, Women Picking Olives, November 1889. Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, Athens
Discover the differences between Van Gogh’s three paintings of an olive grove with pickers: