Sunflowers on Green by Vincent van Gogh corresponds to the important 1888 Sunflowers painting in the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen – Neue Pinakothek collection in Munich, catalogued as F 456 / JH 1561. Van Gogh painted the bouquet in Arles in August 1888 while planning decorations for the studio he hoped to share with Paul Gauguin. Although this version has historically been described as having a green ground, the museum describes the background today as an intense cool turquoise that strongly amplifies the yellow flowers. Alpha Art Gallery offers reproductions as canvas prints, fine art prints, framed prints and 100% hand-painted oil paintings.
About Sunflowers on Green by Vincent van Gogh
The Munich Sunflowers is one of the original sunflower compositions Van Gogh painted during the summer of 1888 in Arles. It is commonly catalogued as Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, though historical catalogue terminology and the exact count of flower heads have varied.
The Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen records the work as an oil painting on canvas measuring approximately 92 × 73 cm, inventory number 8672. The museum acquired it in 1912 through the Tschudi donation.
Its vertical format concentrates attention on the vase and great mass of flower heads while allowing the contrasting background to function as a major element of the composition.
Why the Product Is Called Sunflowers on Green
The title Sunflowers on Green reflects historical descriptions of this particular version. Early exhibition and dealer records referred to it using wording equivalent to “green background.”
The Neue Pinakothek’s current catalogue describes the ground more specifically as icy turquoise. This cooler background intensifies the yellows and yellow-browns of the flowers through strong colour contrast.
Using the product title therefore remains useful for catalogue continuity, but the art-historical description should acknowledge the more precise appearance of the museum painting.
The Arles Sunflowers Series
Van Gogh painted several sunflower compositions in Arles. They are separate historical works rather than one painting reproduced repeatedly under different museum names.
The Munich painting is F 456 / JH 1561. Another major August 1888 version is now in the National Gallery in London. Van Gogh later produced repetitions of selected compositions in early 1889.
The series became one of his most ambitious experiments in creating related decorative paintings rather than isolated still lifes.
Made to Decorate the Yellow House
Van Gogh intended the sunflower paintings to decorate his studio in the Yellow House in Arles. He was preparing for the arrival of Paul Gauguin and imagined an environment filled with his own brightly coloured paintings.
The Neue Pinakothek specifically connects the Munich work with this decorative project. Van Gogh conceived the flowers as part of a larger artistic environment and later thought about combining sunflower paintings with La Berceuse in a triptych-like arrangement.
This context helps explain the painting’s unusually strong simplicity. Vase, flowers, tabletop and background are reduced to large, immediately legible elements that could have strong impact when displayed on a wall.
Colour Is the Main Event
The Munich museum emphasizes the relationship between the cool turquoise ground and the warm yellow flowers. The contrast makes the sunflowers appear especially luminous.
Van Gogh does not depend on conventional modelling to make the flowers convincing. Instead, changing yellows, ochres, outlines and painted texture differentiate petals, centres and wilting heads.
The result is recognizably botanical while also operating as an almost abstract arrangement of warm and cool colour.
Sunflowers at Different Stages
The bouquet does not present identical perfect flowers. Some heads are fully open, while others have begun to droop, lose petals or develop prominent seed centres.
This variety creates much of the composition’s visual interest. Rather than arranging flowers into a polished symmetrical display, Van Gogh allows different stages of the plant’s life cycle to coexist within one vase.
That physical variety also gave him different shapes and textures to paint, preventing the repeated sunflower motif from becoming monotonous.
Japanese Print Influence
The Neue Pinakothek connects the painting’s simplified forms and strong areas of colour with Van Gogh’s interest in Japanese woodblock prints. He admired their bold outlines, flattened spaces and decorative clarity.
These qualities became especially important during his years in France. The sunflower composition reduces depth and concentrates attention on shapes, colour relationships and contours rather than illusionistic modelling.
Van Gogh’s result remains an oil painting with a distinctly physical painted surface, but its organization demonstrates how deeply Japanese art influenced his ideas about modern composition.
Why Van Gogh’s Sunflowers Became Famous
Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings have become among the most recognizable images in Western art because they combine a universally familiar subject with an unmistakably individual approach to colour and paint.
The Munich version is especially important because it belongs to the first Arles campaign and forms a key link within the larger sunflower series.
Collectors browsing other iconic paintings can use the different sunflower versions to understand how Van Gogh repeatedly transformed the same general subject through changes in background, flower count, arrangement and colour.
Historical Artwork Details
| Artist |
Vincent van Gogh |
| Museum title |
Sunflowers |
| Traditional catalogue title |
Vase with Twelve Sunflowers |
| Product title |
Sunflowers on Green |
| Catalogue references |
F 456 / JH 1561 |
| Date |
August 1888 |
| Created at |
Arles, France |
| Original medium |
Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions |
Approximately 92 × 73 cm |
| Genre |
Floral still life |
| Movement |
Post-Impressionism |
| Current collection |
Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen – Neue Pinakothek, Munich |
| Inventory number |
8672 |
The historical original belongs to the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen. Alpha Art Gallery offers reproductions and does not imply affiliation, authorization or museum endorsement.
Choose Your Sunflowers on Green Reproduction
| Format |
Presentation |
Ideal For |
| Canvas Print |
Strong textured presentation emphasizing the bold colour fields |
Statement walls and large floral artwork |
| Fine Art Print |
Refined traditional printed interpretation |
Collectors of classic Van Gogh imagery |
| Framed Print |
Structured presentation around the vertical bouquet |
Living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and offices |
| Hand-Painted Oil Reproduction |
Real oil paint and individually recreated floral texture |
Buyers drawn to Van Gogh’s brushwork and impasto |
Museum-Quality Canvas Prints
Alpha Art Gallery’s canvas prints use substantial 400–450 GSM museum-quality canvas. The vertical composition gives the sunflower bouquet strong presence while requiring less horizontal wall space than a landscape.
Fine Art and Framed Prints
A fine art print suits buyers seeking a clean traditional presentation of the famous composition. Framing can emphasize the rectangular structure of the image while separating the intense floral colours from the surrounding wall.
100% Hand-Painted Oil Painting Reproduction
Van Gogh’s physical paint handling makes hand-painted oil reproductions particularly relevant to Sunflowers. Alpha Art Gallery’s versions are individually painted by professional artists on canvas, creating real brushwork, texture and subtle handmade differences.
Where Can I Buy Sunflowers on Green by Van Gogh?
Alpha Art Gallery offers this Munich Sunflowers composition as a canvas print, fine art print, framed print and 100% hand-painted oil reproduction. Multiple sizes and available frame choices are supported by secure packaging and free worldwide shipping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Van Gogh Sunflowers is this?
This product corresponds to F 456 / JH 1561, the August 1888 Sunflowers painting now in the Neue Pinakothek collection in Munich.
Why is it called Sunflowers on Green?
Historical records described this version as having a green background. The museum today describes the background more precisely as an icy turquoise that intensifies the warm flowers.
Where is the original painting?
The original belongs to the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen – Neue Pinakothek in Munich, Germany.
How large is the original?
The museum records the work at approximately 92 × 73 cm.
Why did Van Gogh paint sunflowers?
In 1888 he planned a group of sunflower paintings as decoration for his studio in Arles in anticipation of Paul Gauguin’s arrival.
Is this the same painting as the London Sunflowers?
No. The Munich and National Gallery paintings are separate works within Van Gogh’s sunflower series.
Can I buy a canvas print?
Yes. Alpha Art Gallery offers the painting on 400–450 GSM museum-quality canvas.
Can I order a hand-painted version?
Yes. Alpha Art Gallery offers 100% hand-painted oil reproductions individually created by professional artists.
Is worldwide shipping free?
Yes. Free worldwide shipping is included on every Alpha Art Gallery order.
Bring Van Gogh’s Sunflowers Into Your Space
The Munich Sunflowers combines brilliant warm flowers, a striking cool ground and the decorative simplicity that made Van Gogh’s Arles series one of the defining achievements of Post-Impressionism. Choose canvas, fine art, framed or hand-painted oil presentation in the size that works best for your interior.
