The Garden of Saint-Paul Hospital

The Garden of Saint-Paul Hospital

In 1889 Van Gogh voluntarily entered Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, a psychiatric asylum in nearby Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. When Vincent arrived at the hospital he painted the flowers in the gardens surrounding the building. He painted this painting in the fall, in October. In a letter to his brother Theo, he writes about his love for the landscapes near Saint-Rémy.

“The country here looks so beautiful, the air is such a splendid blue, and what a sun! But all that I have seen so far is the garden outside my window.”

For his own safety, he was permitted to paint in the fields only in the company of an attendant. Vincent didn’t like this company at all, but it was his only chance at the time to paint the outside of the building.

Current Location: Collection E. G. Bührle, Zürich