Women Picking Olives
Painting on canvas • Vincent van Gogh
Style & Movement
Post-Impressionism
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas using impasto technique with rhythmic, agitated brushstrokes and a vibrant palette.
Creation Period
December 1889
Dimensions & Format
72.4 x 89.9 cm; Landscape format
Subject Description
Three women harvesting olives from twisted, expressive olive trees against a pale pink and white sky. The composition emphasizes the connection between human labor and the cycles of nature, localized in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Excellent/Very Good; well-preserved within a museum environment with stable paint layers.
Estimated Market Value
$80,000,000 - $120,000,000+
Auction Estimate
$70,000,000 - $100,000,000
Provenance History
Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Collection; previously in several private collections after being sent by the artist to his brother Theo.
Art Historical Significance
A major work from Van Gogh’s stay at the asylum in Saint-Rémy. It represents his intense study of the olive groves as a sacred landscape and serves as a secular response to Gauguin’s religious themes.
Notable Features
Features the artist's signature swirling line work; housed in an ornate 18th-century style giltwood frame that contrasts with the modernism of the brushwork.
Condition Issues
Minor age-related craquelure; historical yellowing of varnish which has likely been addressed by professional museum conservation.
Conservation Recommendations
Maintain strict climate control (50% RH, 21°C), UV-filtered lighting, and display behind non-reflective museum glass.
Collector Notes
The met