Gallery Yanai

12/05/2026

Did you know this Van Gogh once belonged to Elizabeth Taylor? ⭐

The painting you see here, ‘View of the Asylum and Chapel of Saint-Paul-de Mausole’ (1889), was owned by the iconic actress, who kept it close throughout her life. It hung on the walls of her home, accompanied her during hospital stays, and even travelled with her on her yacht.

After Taylor passed away, the painting was sold. Its personal history – and the remarkable journey it shared with her – contributed to its value. In 2012, it sold for ten times the price her father had paid for it in 1963.

🖼️ ‘View of the Asylum and Chapel of Saint-Paul-de Mausole’, 1889 © Private collection

12/05/2026

12/05/2026

What do this painting and a weather report have in common? Well... In this case, a red curtain!

Hanging in the top-right corner, the curtain likely wasn’t there for decoration. It was meant to keep the cold air out of the café. Even in Arles, in the South of France, winter still called for a bit of insulation.
Van Gogh made ‘The Smoker’ during his first weeks in the south, and the painting already shows his newfound direction: loose brushwork, rich colour and a vivid blue background full of movement.

Even the quietest details sometimes have something to say.

🖼️ ‘The Smoker’, 1888 © The Barnes Foundation

12/05/2026

A rewritten script 🎬 Van Gogh borrowed this scene from Rembrandt, but then did something unexpected. He left out the main character. Christ, with his raised arm, is gone.

Instead, Vincent shifts the focus to Lazarus, a biblical figure who was raised from death, lying in the tomb. Some think he may have identified with him, which could explain the familiar red beard. The women at the grave aren’t invented either. They’re two people Vincent knew in Arles: Mrs Roulin in green, and Mrs Ginoux in a dark dress with colourful stripes.

Same story, different roles.

🖼️ ‘The Raising of Lazarus (after Rembrandt)’, 1890 © Van Gogh Museum

12/05/2026

Van Gogh saw love as a force of growth. Do you agree?
‘What the power to germinate is in wheat, so love is in us,’ he wrote to his sister Willemien in 1887.

🖼️ ‘The Sower’, 1888 © Kunst Museum Winterthur

12/05/2026

You know what time it is! Or do you?

Can you guess the exact time the De Groot family sat down for their potatoes? Vincent left a clue in the painting. If you look closely enough, you might be able to tell.

When you’ve found it, let us know what time it is in the comments.