"Your pictures at the exhibition are having a lot of success. The other day Diaz stopped me in the street and said, 'Give your brother my compliments and tell him that his pictures are highly remarkable.' Monet said that your pictures were the best of all in the exhibition."
-- Theo van Gogh, Letter T32, 23 April 1890 (The Vincent van Gogh Gallery)
Prior to the authentication of the Yasuda Sunflowers, many fascinated by the spread of suspected van Gogh forgeries have wondered what the three versions of Sunflowers look like individually. Until then, only scholars, art historians, and a select number had carefully viewed all three noted versions of the work – the original in London, a copy in Amsterdam (pictured to the right), and the contentious Yasuda piece now housed in the Yasuda Kasai Museum of Art in Tokyo. Evidently, geographical separation among the works became the greatest stumbling block prohibiting the public from viewing the paintings collectively. Moreover, the deteriorating physical condition of the Amsterdam copy prevented its move to another location ("Stems of Division"). Consequently, administrators from the National Gallery in London and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam planned to display their respective versions of Sunflowers in a joint exhibition ("Stems of Division"). Their hope was to introduce the Yasuda Sunflowers controversy and allow the public to observe the differences among the paintings. During the exhibition preparation, the curators of the Yasuda work were also contacted and tentatively agreed to showcase the piece. It was also determined that the exhibition would take place after the results of the Yasuda authentication had been reported.
However, the curators of the Yasuda work, skeptical of the pending results of the scientific authentication and concerned that their painting was being put “on trial” ("Stems of Division"), remained wary and never confirmed participation in the exposition. Fearing the consequences of great financial loss and shame if the painting were declared a fraud, the curators ultimately withdrew the piece from the exhibition. Cooperation between the two remaining parties in London and Amsterdam further disintegrated after the exit of the Japanese contributors and unfortunately, the exhibition never rose to fruition. Now that the three versions of Sunflowers have been finally brought together at one location – this website – we can now view the exhibition that never existed.