Germany Part 27 - Vincent Van Gogh Sunflowers

Vincent Van Gogh Sunflowers

This is probably the most expensive object I have seen in my trip to Germany - The Vincent Van Gogh Sunflowers being displayed at Neue Pinakothek, Munich. It would retain its value even after more than 100 years from now. The painting was painted in the year 1888.

The feeling of seeing the real Sunflower is different from photograph or image. The actual one has depth as the brushes applied by Van Gogh was thick. One can physically see the brushes coming out of the canvas. The background behind the sunflowers is pastel blue which is different from the more common yellow background. The good thing about Neue Pinakothek was that the Sunflowers was not enclosed or placed at a distance. Visitors could come close to the painting and observe the texture and details. The museum was also not crowded.

The last transacted price of sunflower made in 1987 was 24.75 million pounds. It is not surprising that Van Gogh's painting can be worth more than US$100 million. It was breathtaking that I was looking at a painting of this value. (Although I had seen the mona lisa in The Louvre many years back).

There were many good paintings in Neue Pinakothek. They include water lilies by Monet, ploughing by Giovanni Segantini, Munich Beer Garden by Max Liebermann. They were masterpiece created with skills and patience. These paintings would last generations, even longer than classical cars.

Sunflowers were common in Europe. I had seen some growing between the Hotel I stayed and the train station (Trudering). I walked passed these sunflowers everyday.