Location and Creation

Van Gogh painted Allotment with Sunflower on the hill of Montmartre in Paris in July 1887. The painting features a large sunflower as the main subject, set against a backdrop that includes a glimpse of the city, with chimneys of factories in the Clichy district visible on the left.

Technique and Materials

The painting is an oil on canvas work, measuring 43.2 cm x 36.2 cm. Interestingly, Van Gogh painted this city scene on the back of an earlier work, 'Head of a Woman,' which he had created in Nuenen. This was a practical measure to save expensive linen canvas.

Provenance

After its creation, the painting was with Van Gogh's brother Theo in Paris. Following Theo's death, it was inherited by his widow, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, and their son, Vincent Willem van Gogh. The painting was later donated to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation and is now part of the collection at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Significance

While Allotment with Sunflower is not as widely known as Van Gogh's later sunflower series painted in Arles, it reflects his early fascination with sunflowers. This fascination would later become a hallmark of his work, particularly during his time in Arles where he painted numerous still lifes of sunflowers.

Exhibitions

The painting has been included in several exhibitions, including 'Van Gogh in Paris: New perspectives' in various Japanese and Korean museums, and 'Van Gogh en de Zonnebloemen' at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.