Last updated: · By Stanislav Arnautov · Berlin
Quick answer
Van Gogh's Sunflowers (August 1888, National Gallery London) was painted for Gauguin's room at the Yellow House. Five versions exist. The chrome yellow pigment has chemically altered in museum originals. The 1987 Christie's sale for £24.75 million was then a world record. DeckArts Berlin from ~$140 on Canadian maple.
Vincent van Gogh (Zundert, 1853 – Auvers-sur-Oise, 1890) painted the Arles Sunflowers series in August 1888, specifically to decorate Paul Gauguin's room at the Yellow House before Gauguin's arrival in October 1888. The third version — fifteen sunflowers in a yellow vase on a yellow background, 92 × 73 cm — sold at Christie's London in March 1987 for £24.75 million, then a world record. The National Gallery London holds it. DeckArts from ~$140 single to ~$310 triptych on Canadian maple.
Painted for Gauguin's Room
Letter 686 (Van Gogh to Theo, August 1888): "I am now going all out at the decorations for the studio... I want to make a decoration for Gauguin's room, twelve canvases on a yellow theme — a scheme of colour that will cover the whole room." The executed series was five, not twelve. The Sunflowers were Van Gogh's hospitality gift: the paintings that would welcome the most important visitor of his career to the Yellow House. After the December 1888 ear incident and Gauguin's departure, Van Gogh made two copies at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole (January 1889) because Gauguin had requested one of the originals.
Five Versions, Three Vase Compositions
Five canonical versions from Arles and Saint-Rémy: Version 1 (August 1888, Yasuda collection Tokyo, £22.9M Christie's 1987); Version 2 (August 1888, Neue Pinakothek Munich); Version 3 (August 1888, National Gallery London, £24.75M Christie's 30 March 1987, then world record, buyer Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance Japan); Version 4 (January 1889, Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam, copy for Gauguin); Version 5 (January 1889, National Museum of Western Art Tokyo, second copy).
Chrome Yellow: The Pigment That Changed Colour
Chrome yellow (lead chromate, PbCrO₄) is chemically unstable and undergoes photochemical reduction converting brilliant orange-yellow to brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow over time. Technical analyses by the National Gallery London, Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam, and Neue Pinakothek Munich have all documented areas of chrome yellow conversion in their respective versions. The DeckArts Sunflowers reproduction reproduces the estimated 1888 colour state — the brilliant chrome yellow as originally applied — not the current faded museum state. This is one advantage of a high-quality reproduction: it can represent the work as it was made.
£24.75 Million in 1987: The Christie's Record
The sale of the National Gallery Sunflowers (Version 3) at Christie's London on 30 March 1987 for £24.75 million (approximately $39.9M at the day's exchange rate) was the highest price ever achieved for any work of art at public auction at the time. Buyer: Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance Company of Japan. Context: the peak of the Japanese economic bubble, when Japanese corporations were purchasing Western art at unprecedented prices. Version 1 sold two weeks later at the same auction house for £22.9M. Both works remain in Japan.
Single-Hue Warmth: Van Gogh's Palette Theory for the Sunflowers
The Sunflowers' palette — chrome yellow flowers, chrome yellow vase, chrome yellow background — abandons Van Gogh's usual complementary colour pairs (Starry Night: chrome yellow stars + Prussian blue sky; Irises: violet-blue + warm orange). Letter 666 (August 1888): "I am going for an artist who paints things as they are... the sunflowers are painted with a simple yellow, various yellows, all the yellows from chrome yellow to lemon yellow, into orange." The Sunflowers are a single-hue warmth study — the expressive range of warm yellow without a complementary cool. This makes them the maximum warm-dominant work in the DeckArts range and the most effective warm accent for cool-dominant rooms.
Sunflowers for Living Room: The Warmest Installation
Sunflowers triptych (~$310) on deep navy or cool grey is the warmest installation in the DeckArts range. Chrome yellow and navy blue are complementary — the navy wall provides exactly the complementary ground that maximises chrome yellow luminosity. Where the Starry Night provides cool nocturnal immersion (Prussian blue dominant), the Sunflowers provide pure warm advance (chrome yellow dominant). For a navy living room that wants warm advance rather than cool immersion: Sunflowers triptych above the sofa. 50–75% rule: triptych (~70 cm) suits 120–140 cm sofas; 4-deck gallery (~95 cm, ~$430) suits 160–180 cm sofas. Warm LED 2700K, dark oak furniture, warm brass lamps below.
What Wall Colour Goes with Van Gogh Sunflowers
| Wall colour | Effect | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Deep navy | Maximum warm-cool complementary contrast: chrome yellow on navy = full complementary opposition | Living room, bedroom primary wall |
| Cool grey | Warm-on-cool-neutral: contemporary clean | Contemporary living room, study |
| Forest green | Warm-on-organic-botanical: Van Gogh’s Provençal summer in a botanical room | Living room or dining room with teak furniture |
| Deep burgundy | Warm-adjacent warm-warm richness | Dining room, warm bedroom |
| Warm white | Warm-on-warm-neutral: Scandinavian/contemporary | Any contemporary space |
Sunflowers vs Starry Night: Warm vs Cool Van Gogh
| Element | Sunflowers (1888) | Starry Night (1889) |
|---|---|---|
| Palette dominant | Chrome yellow warm dominant — all yellows, no complement | Prussian blue cool dominant, chrome yellow as warm accent |
| Best wall | Deep navy (maximum warm-cool contrast) | Deep navy (cool merges with wall, stars glow) |
| Room register | Warm, welcoming, solar, optimistic | Nocturnal, swirling, contemplative |
| DeckArts format | Single ~$140 / Triptych ~$310 | Triptych ~$310 |
Van Gogh — Sunflowers Triptych (~$310)
View this piece →FAQ
Why did Van Gogh paint the Sunflowers?
Van Gogh painted the Arles Sunflowers (August 1888) to decorate Paul Gauguin's room at the Yellow House before Gauguin's arrival (Letter 686). The Sunflowers were his hospitality gift. Five canonical versions exist. The most celebrated (National Gallery London, Version 3) sold for £24.75M at Christie's in 1987 — then a world record. DeckArts from ~$140 single to ~$310 triptych.
How many versions of Van Gogh's Sunflowers are there?
Five canonical versions (Arles August 1888 + Saint-Rémy January 1889): Version 1 Yasuda Tokyo (£22.9M Christie's 1987); Version 2 Neue Pinakothek Munich; Version 3 National Gallery London (£24.75M Christie's 1987, world record); Version 4 Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam (January 1889, copy for Gauguin); Version 5 National Museum of Western Art Tokyo (January 1889, second copy). DeckArts from ~$140.
What wall colour for Van Gogh Sunflowers?
Best wall colour: deep navy (#1B2A4A) for maximum warm-cool complementary contrast — chrome yellow (warm) on navy (cool) is the complementary pair at full opposition. Cool grey is the most versatile contemporary choice. Forest green for botanical warmth. All require warm LED 2700K. DeckArts Sunflowers from ~$140 single to ~$310 triptych.
Article Summary
Van Gogh painted Sunflowers (August 1888, oil on canvas, 92 × 73 cm per version) for Gauguin's room at the Yellow House (Letter 686). Five versions: V1 Yasuda Tokyo (£22.9M 1987); V2 Neue Pinakothek Munich; V3 National Gallery London (£24.75M Christie's 30 March 1987, then world record, buyer Yasuda Japan); V4 Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam (copy January 1889); V5 National Museum of Western Art Tokyo (copy January 1889). Chrome yellow instability: conversion to brownish/greenish-yellow documented by National Gallery, Van Gogh Museum, Neue Pinakothek. DeckArts reproduces 1888 estimated colour state. Palette: single-hue warmth (all yellows, no complementary pair) — maximum warm-dominant DeckArts work. Best walls: deep navy (complementary maximum), cool grey, forest green, burgundy. vs Starry Night: warm dominant vs cool dominant. DeckArts from ~$140 single / ~$310 triptych. Canadian maple. UV archival 100+ years. Berlin. 30-day return.
About the Author
Stanislav Arnautov is the founder of DeckArts and a creative director from Ukraine based in Berlin.
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