Paul Mellon Lecture – Van Gogh and the Olive Groves

Between June and December 1889, Vincent van Gogh produced a stunning series of fifteen paintings dedicated to the olive groves that dotted the rugged countryside outside his residence at the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Bold and experimental, they comprise one of the most ambitious series in the artist’s oeuvre. Yet despite the aesthetic and symbolic significance that van Gogh ascribed to them, they are surprisingly obscure. In this lecture, Dr. Myers will contextualize the olive grove series within van Gogh’s artistic production and explore the deeply personal, often religious resonance the motif held for the painter.

If you cannot attend in person, please register for the livestream of this program here! This program is being recorded and will be posted to the VMFA YouTube channel at a later date. Masks are required of all participants, regardless of vaccination status, while in Leslie Cheek Theater. Please read more about our COVID-19 protocols here.