ROTTERDAM.- Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen announced that it has acquired Still Life with Potatoes (Paris, winter 1886-87) by Vincent van Gogh. The painting was presented on 11 March 2024 at Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam.

The painting has been on loan to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen for more than forty years. The risk with a long-term loan – especially with such a big name as Vincent van Gogh – is that the owner will request its return or sell it, possibly abroad. This purchase ensures that this Van Gogh painting will be preserved for the National Art Collection. This acquisition would not have been made possible without the generous support of the Rembrandt Association, the Mondriaan Fund, the VriendenLoterij, Bruynzeel and private donors and bequests. The museum thanks them all for their crucial support.

"Our collection now contains seven paintings by Vincent van Gogh. The ‘Potatoes’ are a pivotal point in his development: from the dark Brabant paintings to the splendidly colourful works he painted in France." ---Ina Klaassen, director Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

Still Life with Potatoes

Vincent van Gogh painted Still Life with Potatoes in Paris, after studying for a short period at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1885. While his paintings in his native Brabant – such as The Potato Eaters – had a dark, restricted palette, in France he was inspired to make brightly coloured works. Still Life with Potatoes is a pivotal work in this transition. It is less sombre in tone than his Dutch works and is very expressive. He wrote to his brother Theo about painting and depicting potatoes. Van Gogh said that he wanted to depict the potatoes in such a way that they would appear as as in real life. He wanted to give the impression that you could throw them.

"The vereniging Rembrandt helps museums to buy great works of art so that they can be seen by everyone. This special still life by Vincent Van Gogh is one of these great works. When the opportunity arose to buy this painting, the museum asked the Vereniging Rembrandt for generous support, which it was able to give thanks to the involvement of its around 17,500 members" -- Geert-Jan Janse, director Vereniging Rembrandt