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Vincent van GoghDutch, 1853–1890Lilac Bush
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
State Hermitage Museum
Room413Saint Petersburg, Russia
On public display.
- Checked
- 29 Aug 2026
- In this state since
- Aug 30, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
Lilac Bush (catalogue number: F 579, JH 1692) is a May 1889 oil on canvas painting by Vincent van Gogh, produced during his stay in Saint-Rémy. It is now in the Hermitage Museum.
The artist began painting almost as soon as he had arrived at the psychiatric hospital of Saint-Paul de Mausole in Saint-Rémy. Among his first subjects were the irises and lilac bush in the hospital garden, mentioned in a letter written to his brother Theo and Theo's wife Johanna a few days after his arrival:
I have two other [paintings] to send - purple irises and a lilac bush. Two subjects taken from the garden.
Particulars
- Accession number
- ГЭ-6511
In the catalog
Sources
- State Hermitage Museum: the museum's own open data · fetched 29 Aug 2026
- Image: State Hermitage Museum — Museum open access
Meanwhile, in the life of Vincent van Gogh
The whole life1888
Paints “Sunflowers”
Preparing for Gauguin's arrival, Van Gogh painted four versions of “Sunflowers” in one week. “In the hope of living in a studio of our own with Gauguin,” he wrote to Theo, “I'd like to do a decoration for the studio. Nothing but large Sunflowers.”
February 1888
To Arles, dreaming of a “Studio of the South”
The public still neither accepted nor bought his paintings, and in February 1888 Van Gogh left for Arles in the south of France to found a “Studio of the South”, a brotherhood of like-minded artists in which he gave Gauguin the leading role. Theo backed the plan with money.
23 October 1888
Gauguin arrives in Arles
After much pleading Gauguin arrived in Arles, and in November the two painted together: Gauguin portrayed Van Gogh in “The Painter of Sunflowers”, and their first joint outing was to the Alyscamps. At Gauguin's suggestion Vincent painted from memory, producing “Memory of the Garden at Etten”.
23 December 1888
The severed ear
After an altercation on the evening of 23 December, Van Gogh, seemingly hearing voices, severed his left ear, wholly or in part, with a razor and delivered it, wrapped in paper, to a woman at a brothel. Next morning a policeman found him unconscious; in hospital he was diagnosed with “acute mania with generalised delirium”.
1889
Paints “The Starry Night”
At the Saint-Paul asylum Van Gogh worked tirelessly, producing more than 150 paintings and about 100 drawings and watercolours in a year. Among them is “The Starry Night”, charged, like other works of this time, with intense nervous tension and dynamism.
29 July 1890
Died
