Artwork
Olive Picking
Olive Picking is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. It dates from 1889 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
No further details on handling, condition, or specific stylistic execution are documented in the available sources.
Olive Picking is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard combination for Van Gogh's late Saint-Rémy period. The work measures 73 by 92 centimeters and was completed in December 1889 at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. As an oil on canvas, it belongs to the medium and support category typical of the artist's mature output.
The painting is held in the collection of the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation, and its provenance traces through several owners including Alfred Wolff, Hedwig Stern, Theodor Werner, Vincent Astor, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Marlborough Fine Art. No further details on handling, condition, or specific stylistic execution are documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Vincent van Gogh created the oil-on-canvas painting Olive Picking in December 1889 while working in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The work measures 73 cm in height and 92 cm in width. Its ownership history includes Alfred Wolff, Hedwig Stern, and Theodor Werner, followed by the American collector Vincent Astor.
The painting later passed through the hands of Marlborough Fine Art before entering the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is currently held by the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation.
Olive Picking is held by the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation, according to Wikidata records, which also list the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of its collection history. The painting's provenance traces through several owners, including Alfred Wolff, Hedwig Stern, Theodor Werner, Vincent Astor, and Marlborough Fine Art, before reaching its current institutional home. No specific inventory or accession number is documented in the available sources, and no exhibition history is recorded.
Overview
Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 oil work titled Olive Picking belongs to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The canvas captures a Mediterranean landscape dominated by a line of contorted olive trees set against a muted sky. The composition balances earth tones of dry soil and pale grass with the darker silhouettes of the trees, establishing a stark yet harmonious rural scene.
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays a grove of olive trees whose twisted trunks and densely packed foliage suggest a landscape shaped by centuries of cultivation and natural forces. The barren ground and sparse vegetation convey the harshness of the terrain, while the pale sky hints at a quiet, perhaps early‑morning atmosphere, inviting contemplation of labor and the enduring presence of nature in agrarian life.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art.
