Ravishing, intense and intimate all at once, Nature morte: vase aux glaïeuls (Lot 1020) encapsulates the sense of fervor and renewal that characterized Vincent van Gogh’s first summer in Paris. With its tall, sprightly stems and fluttering red petals, this bouquet of gladioli expresses the sheer romance of the French capital and its profound effect on the artist. The present lot stands as one of the earliest examples of the floral still life works that would eventually become so important to van Gogh.

It was produced in the summer of 1886 during one of the most transformative periods of his career, the Paris period (March 1886 – February 1888). Having moved from Antwerp to stay with his brother Theo in a modest apartment on the rue Laval in Montmartre, the artist found himself in the center of the art world. Befriending artists that would become the greatest maestros of modernism and enthralled by the bourgeoning art scene, Van Gogh found a new impetus and direction for his art. In a letter from 1886, Theo updated his mother about the progress of Vincent’s paintings since his arrival in Paris:

His arrival in Paris allowed Van Gogh to experience the work of the Impressionists first-hand and their novel approach to colour, light and application of paint would prove revelatory for the Dutch artist. Prior to his move, he had been predominately influenced by the Dutch Masters and the Hague School, employing a darker palette of earthy tones and browns, much to the disapproval of Theo, who encouraged him to explore livelier hues. Paris changed all this: as Van Gogh wrote in a letter to his friend, the English painter Horace Mann Livens:

An x-ray photograph taken by the Van Gogh Museum shows that the present work was painted over a still life of potatoes and a bowl, which Van Gogh would have produced in the late summer of 1885, when he was living in Nuenen, the Netherlands. This was probably sent to his brother Theo on consignment in the autumn of that year (see letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, 13 October 1885, letter no. 535) and re-used by Van Gogh in order to paint the present work after his arrival in Paris. Van Gogh often re-used canvases, in part for financial reasons, but in this case perhaps because he also felt his art moving in a new and exciting direction.

This new engagement with colour is exemplified in the flower still-lifes that van Gogh painted in Paris that summer. Works such as Vase with Gladioli and China Asters, 1886, (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Vase with Red Gladioli, 1886, (Musée Jenisch, Vevey, Switzerland) and Vase with Gladioli and Carnations, 1886, (Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam), all share the same exuberant energy as the present work. A sense of vitality pervades the composition as van Gogh exalts the image with daring hues, primarily experimenting with the possibilities and variations of red and uniting the subject with its backdrop through a single primary color. The bright, quivering petals, juxtaposed with the dark shadows cast on the wall and table, permeate the work with a sense of theatricality. From deep maroons, soft oranges to cooler plum tones, the various gradations of red conjure a passionate lyricism that reflects the renewed energy that van Gogh discovered on arriving in Paris. He utilized a lavish amount of paint to render the majestic blooms, producing a textural surface undeniably inspired by the flower still life works of Adolphe Monticelli, which he had discovered in June 1886, shortly before painting the present lot. Monticelli’s emphatic brushstrokes and generous use of colorful impasto produced a visual experience that van Gogh often compared to liquid clay.

Nature morte: vase aux glaïeuls is the first Vincent van Gogh painting to be offered at auction in Asia, and it fittingly exemplifies the artist’s engagement with an Asian aesthetic for flowers. Van Gogh had already discovered an affinity for Japanese prints during his time in Antwerp:

Upon arriving in Paris, where Japonisme was in vogue, he discovered the impact Oriental art was having on the West. Japanese art, Ukiyo-e, and woodblock prints served as an important catalyst for the artist, who was already striving to modernise his own aesthetic. As he said to Theo during his stint in Paris: “You will see that by making a habit of looking at Japanese pictures you will come to love to make up bouquets and do things with flowers all the more.” The brothers accumulated a sizeable collection of ukiyo-e prints, inspiring the artist to return to nature and revel in all its details. Evidently, the present lot is influenced by what van Gogh called “Japonaiserie,” as seen through the close-up approach to composition, strong use of color and joyful atmosphere.

Nature morte: vase aux glaïeuls is one of more than 35 flower still lifes that Van Gogh painted in Paris during the summer of 1886. As seen in the present lot, where lofty flower spikes flare open from a small vase and flowering buds dominate the upper quadrants of the picture plane, the very nature of these gladioli allowed the artist to experiment with triangular-structured compositions, a looser style of brushwork, and color theory as his palette evolved and saturated. In order to refine his aptitude for still paintings and in the hopes that they would sell well, he meticulously studied the art of floral arranging, the works of Dutch masters, Japanese woodcut prints and Impressionist still life pieces. His experimental flower series of 1886 laid the foundation for one of his most iconic images; the following year he began experimenting with sunflowers and in 1888 embarked on the series of sunflower still-lifes that would become his most celebrated paintings.

The present work is distinguished by important early provenance. The first known owner of the present lot was the renowned French journalist and art critic, Théodore Duret. Known as one of the first advocates of Impressionism, Duret served as an advisor and buying agent for the one of the most important American patrons of Impressionist art, Louisine Havemeyer. The second owner was Paul Cassirer, the German art dealer who played a significant role in the promotion of the French Impressionist & Post-Impressionist artists and was particularly important to the legacy of Van Gogh in Europe. After visiting Julien Leclercq’s retrospective of Van Gogh’s work in 1901, Cassirer included five works by the artist in an exhibition of the Berlin Secession, further augmenting the artist's standing.

Sotheby’s is privileged to present Vincent van Gogh’s debut at an auction house in Asia, by offering an exceptionally rare composition that reflects the artist’s adoration for Japonisme and the Asian aesthetic and serves as a testament to his significant place in art history. In the past decade, only two other flower still life works by van Gogh have surfaced in the auction market: Nature morte, vase aux marguerites et coquelicots, 1890 (Sotheby’s New York, 4 November 2014, Lot 17, for US$ 61,700,000) and Fleurs dans un verre, 1890 (Sotheby’s New York, 28 October 2020, Lot 127, for US$ 16,000,000), both hailing from the last year of the artist’s life. The present lot is the only early period flower still life piece to appear at auction in over two decades.

Van Gogh would come to be known as one of the great Post-Impressionists, whose style would influence the Fauves and German Expressionists as well as many subsequent generations of artists. With its gestural application of paint and rich coloration, Nature morte: vase aux glaïeuls is a seminal piece that articulates the foundational, creative spark of one of modern art’s true greats.

媲美梵高博物館藏的藝術家「巴黎時期」傑作

1886年，文森・梵高初抵巴黎，這座法國首都的浪漫情調與藝術氣息，令他心醉不已。在巴黎度過的第一個夏天裡，梵高創作了這幅《靜物：花瓶與菖蘭 》（拍品編號1020）。畫中燦然怒放的紅菖蘭彷彿散發著巴黎的浪漫芬芳，那朝氣勃勃的形態更像一群豔紅的火鳥振翅高飛，見證了藝術家浴火重生的開端。這是梵高最早期的花卉靜物畫，並下啟其往後豐盛燦爛的創作軌跡。

梵高在1886年3月至1888年2月期間旅居巴黎，這幅1886年的作品正好出自這個巴黎時期的初段，而當時梵高正經歷其人生和藝術生涯上的巨變。他從荷蘭安特衛普遷往巴黎，與胞弟提奧在蒙馬特拉瓦爾街的一所小公寓同住。置身於世界藝術中心的梵高重拾了久違的自信與魄力。在一封寄予母親的信函中，西奧如此描述梵高抵達法國首都後的生活和創作進展：

「他現在主要以花卉寫生，為往後的作品注入更繽紛的色彩。他比從前快樂多了，這裏的人都很喜歡他。告訴你一個例子，幾乎每天都有人邀請他拜訪知名畫家的工作室，或者專程來見他一面。每星期都有人捧著束花來訪，讓他寫生。如果這狀態可持續下去，我想，他可以靠自己渡過這個艱難時期了。」

在這朝氣蓬勃的藝術圈中，除了結識到後來成為現代主義代表人物的多個藝術家外，梵高更成功開拓出嶄新的藝術視野。無可否認，巴黎時期成就了梵高，使他成為西方藝術史上獨一無二的大師，影響後世數之不盡的藝術家。

《靜物：花瓶與菖蘭》是歷來首幅在亞洲上拍的文森・梵高作品，這個花卉主題亦剛好東方美學息息相關。梵高早年在安特衛普時已鍾情日本木刻版畫：「我這個工作室還算不俗，主要是因為我在牆上掛了一組有趣的日本版畫。你看，這些在庭院或岸邊的小女子、騎手、花卉、曲折帶刺的樹幹。」 梵高抵達巴黎時，「日本主義」在巴黎大行其道，這股和風熱潮令梵高驚覺東方美學對西方藝術界的影響。他遂積極從日本藝術、浮世繪、木刻版畫等不同藝術媒介汲取靈感，力圖發展出屬於自己的、煥然一新的現代藝術美學。梵高曾對提奧說：「你會發現，養成細賞日本作品的習慣後，便會愛上花藝，甚至想投入一切跟花卉有關的事。」他們倆兄弟本身亦有收藏不少浮世繪。來自日本的作品激勵了梵高重投大自然的懷抱，細味箇中的細節。顯然，本作中鮮豔的用色、特寫的構圖和歡愉的氛圍，正是梵高口中「日本風」的代表。

風格簡約的日本版畫追求「侘寂」之美，在梵高心中留下深刻的印象。如他所言：

「試想想，這些日本人教會我們的，不就幾乎是個全新的宗教嗎？他們過著簡樸的生活，猶如花兒般，與大自然和諧共處。我認為，如我們不能打開心扉，將無法理解日本藝術。它能使我們衝破社會上那些來自教育和工作的枷鎖，回歸大自然。」

日本版畫推崇無常、缺憾之美，透過不對稱、簡約、溫暖、粗糙和中庸之畫風，歌頌「侘寂」之哲學。這套東方審美準則啟發了梵高，讓他創出使人驚嘆的靜物花卉作品。就在完成《靜物：花瓶與菖蘭》的兩年後，藝術家開展

《向日葵》系列。他筆下那些凋零的向日葵，滲透著淡淡的「物哀」精神——可見，此時的梵高已看穿萬物無常背後之美。

另一方面，在巴黎的梵高終有機會一睹印象派的風采。此前，他一直不理胞弟提奧的勸告，不用鮮活明亮的用色，反而因為荷蘭大師及海牙畫派藝術的影響，獨愛沉鬱的大地色調。但他之後明顯受到巴黎的藝術色彩薰陶。如梵高寄予英國畫家兼友人赫拉斯・曼恩・萊文斯的信中所道：

「在安特衛普，我根本不知何謂印象派——現在我終於有幸親眼目睹他們的作品。雖然我還未算是印象派的一員，但他們有些作品實在深得我心，例如德加的裸體人像和克勞德・莫內的風景畫。我現時沒有能力聘請模特兒，否則，我早已全心投入繪製人像畫。我又繪畫了一些彩色的習作，畫的都是單純的花卉主題，如紅色罌粟花、藍色矢車菊和勿忘我。在白玫瑰、粉紅玫瑰和小黃菊的題材上，我將藍與橙、紅與綠、黃與紫並置對立，再以細碎的中性色調緩和這些強烈的對比。我嘗試在畫面上呈現濃烈的色彩，而非灰暗的近似色。」

按梵高博物館為《靜物：花瓶與菖蘭》所拍攝的X光照，本作底下是一幅「馬鈴薯和碗」的靜物作品，應是1885年夏末梵高正在荷蘭小鎮尼嫩暫住時誕生；根據1885年10月13日梵谷寫給弟弟西奧的信函（編號535），這幅「馬鈴薯和碗」應該是接受委託而創作，並從荷蘭寄給當時身在巴黎的西奧；1886年夏天，到達巴黎的梵谷因為畫具短缺，所以直接在這幅「馬鈴薯和碗」寫生上覆蓋創作《靜物：花瓶與菖蘭》，由此見證了他在藝術風格上的轉變。

《靜物：花瓶與菖蘭》集各家之大成，帶來動人心魄的視覺衝擊，同時揭示梵高的創作發展和心路歷程。他繪畫這幅作品時，正在接受不同藝術風格的洗禮，個人的想法和技巧不斷蛻變。他逐漸摒棄早年在荷蘭時陰暗滯重的風格，轉而學會欣賞色彩之美。雖然梵高亦有其他作品以菖蘭入畫，例如《花瓶、菖蘭與中國紫菀》（1886年，梵高博物館，荷蘭阿姆斯特丹）、《花瓶與紅菖蘭》（1886年，耶尼施美術館，瑞士沃韋），以及《花瓶與菖蘭與康乃馨》（1886年，博伊曼斯・范伯寧恩美術館，荷蘭鹿特丹），但《靜物：花瓶與菖蘭》是唯一已知、僅以紅菖蘭為主題的作品。在本作中，梵高試驗紅色的變奏和各種可能，最終成功以單一顏色將主題和背景串連起來，彰顯花兒的生機勃勃。豔紅的花瓣像雛鳥般抖動雙翼，在牆壁和桌子上投下黝黑的影子，極具舞台效果。從深沉的褐紫紅到柔和的橘黃，再到冷豔的梅紫色，本作有如一首歌頌「紅」的樂章，演奏出梵高在巴黎時期重拾自信的雀躍心情。藝術家使用大量顏料塗繪出花卉綻放的一刻，這種突顯畫面肌理的手法，無疑是受阿道夫·蒙蒂切利的靜物花卉所影響。1886年6月，梵高初次接觸到蒙蒂切利的作品，不久後開始創作《靜物：花瓶與菖蘭》，可見兩者不無關係。蒙蒂切利的筆觸厚重有力，並喜以厚塗方式堆疊出色彩豐富的顏料層；梵高甚至將蒙蒂切利所呈現的畫面質感形容為「液態的黏土」。

1886年夏天，梵高在巴黎創作了超過35幅靜物花卉作品，《靜物：花瓶與菖蘭》是其中之一。菖蘭盛放的美態和瑰艷的顏色，確實有助梵高探索三角形構圖和色彩理論，並讓畫筆在畫面上自由奔馳，猶如花兒在瓶中傲然而立的自然風姿。為了提高自己的靜物寫生技巧，好讓作品能成功賣出，他醉心鑽研不同範疇的藝術，包括花藝、荷蘭大師的繪畫、日本木刻版畫

和印象派靜物畫等。值得一提的是，日本花道對梵高創作的影響同樣深遠，因為日本花道講究簡約、形態、線條和造型，這從他的日本版畫收藏亦可見一二。1886年，梵高以花卉為題材創作了一系列實驗性的作品，這些花卉作品後來成為他的一些經典代表作的重要基礎；翌年，他嘗試以向日葵入畫。1888年，他開始創作一系列注定流芳後世的向日葵靜物畫。

本作來源有緒，珍罕非凡。根據記錄，本作的第一位藏家是知名法國記者兼藝評家西奧多・迪雷。迪雷是印象派的早期倡導者，亦是印象派藝術在美國的重要贊助人路易斯・哈梅耶（Louisine Havemeyer）的顧問兼買方代理。第二位藏家是德國藝術經紀保羅・卡希爾。他致力推廣法國印象派藝術家及後印象派藝術家，對梵高逝世後在歐洲建立的藝術聲譽貢獻良多。1901年，他看完朱利安・勒克萊克（Julien Leclercq）舉辦的梵高作品回顧展後，決定在柏林分離派展覽上展出五幅梵高的作品，令梵高的盛名更加廣泛流傳。

今次蘇富比隆重呈獻的《靜物：花瓶與菖蘭》，是首幅在亞洲拍賣市場亮相的文森・梵高作品。這幅作品讓人感受到梵高當年沉醉在「日本主義」和東方美學時的喜悅心境；亦印證他在藝術史上超然屹立的地位。事實上，在過去十年裡，拍賣市場上只出現過兩幅梵高的花卉靜物作品，兩幅皆出自梵高生命的最後一年，包括《雛菊與罌粟花》（1890年作，紐約蘇富比，2014年11月4日，拍品17，成交價61,700,000美元）和《玻璃瓶中的花》（1890年作，紐約蘇富比，2020年10月28日，拍品127，成交價為16,000,000美元）。更難能可貴的是，《靜物：花瓶與菖蘭》是二十多年來唯一在拍賣市場上亮相的梵高早期靜物花卉作品。梵高是後印象派其中一位最偉大的畫家，他的影響不止及野獸派和德國表現主義藝術家，後世有無數藝術家受過他的啟發。《靜物：花瓶與菖蘭》是絕無僅有的曠世鉅作，畫面上每一道隨心揮灑、絢麗燦爛的筆觸，皆記載了這位現代藝術奇才創意爆發的頃刻。