“Irises” is, without doubt, one of Van Gogh’s most iconic paintings. It was painted in 1889, a year before the artist’s death, while he was confined to an asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in Southern France.

The painting depicts a flowerbed of splendid blue irises with green leaves, with dandelions in orange tones in the background. But researchers at the J Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Conservation Institute claim that Van Gogh’s irises were originally violet, not blue.

They made the discovery in 2020, when the J Paul Getty Museum was closed due to the pandemic. Extensive laboratory examinations revealed that “Irises” had been painted with a violet paint that Van Gogh had created himself by mixing blue and red pigments.

Over the years, however, these red hues faded with exposure to light. This explains why Van Gogh’s spring flowers now appear blue, rather than more purple in hue.

Art historians have long suspected that the Dutch artist’s “Irises” are not what they seem.

In a letter to his brother Theo, Van Gogh refers to his “violet irises.” This handwritten document will soon be on display at The Getty Center in Los Angeles, as part of a major exhibition devoted to the artist’s “Irises.” Here, visitors will be able to see this painting in a new light, and learn more about its history.

For “Irises” is a far more surprising painting than it seems. In particular, it conceals a pollen cone, lodged in the paint in its lower left-hand corner. This botanical element must have crept into the painting while Van Gogh was working on his masterpiece in the garden of the asylum where he was staying in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.

*The exhibition ‘Ultra-Violet: New Light on Van Gogh’s Irises’ will run from Oct 1, 2024, to Jan 19, 2025, at The Getty Center in Los Angeles.