The paintings, which the artist made in different periods of his life, are View of Amsterdam from Central Station (1885), Riverbank with Trees (1887) and Wheat Field (1888). This generous loan from the Amsterdam-based P. and N. de Boer Foundation means that for the first time the Rijksmuseum is able to show the development of the celebrated painter’s art. And it is of particular interest that Van Gogh painted the view of Amsterdam while on his way to visit the Rijksmuseum, which had recently opened. From today, the three loaned Van Gogh works will hang together in the museum alongside his self-portrait from the Rijksmuseum collection.

The view of Amsterdam’s Singel canal and its domed church is in all probability the first painting by Van Gogh ever to cross the threshold of the Rijksmuseum; the fact that it could happen again now is something truly special.–Niels de Boer

We are delighted that the P. and N. de Boer Foundation has placed these paintings on long-term loan to the museum. The Rijksmuseum collection had an important part to play in Van Gogh’s artistic development.–Taco Dibbits, General Director Rijksmuseum

Van Gogh and the RijksmuseumAfter saving up for a long time, in October 1885 Van Gogh travelled from Nuenen to Amsterdam to visit the Rijksmuseum, which had only recently opened. He was very impressed by the paintings of Frans Hals – especially Militia Company of District XI – but was completely blown away by Rembrandt’s The Jewish Bride. Van Gogh described Rembrandt as a poet, writing: ‘[I would] gladly give up ten years of my life to sit in front of the painting for two weeks, eating only a stale crust of bread.’ Van Gogh had brought his painting materials with him to Amsterdam, and on the morning of his visit to the Rijksmuseum he applied just a few colours with rapid brushwork to capture the view of the Singel canal and the Cupola Church. This is one of only a few city views that Van Gogh painted in this period.

Artistic development in a nutshellNot long afterwards, Van Gogh travelled to Antwerp and then Paris to develop himself artistically. He met numerous fellow artists and experimented extensively with vivid colours and striking compositional framing. It was in Paris that Van Gogh painted Riverbank with Trees in 1887. The difference is extraordinary between his views of Amsterdam and the bank of the river Seine, which he painted two years later. In the second work he used short brushstrokes to apply crisp, bright colours in a modern compositional style. Later, in 1888 – exhausted as he was by big-city life, and keen to explore warmer colours – he moved to Arles. In the summer of that year Van Gogh grew fascinated by the area’s yellow fields of ripe wheat, and within a period of just a few weeks he created a series of views of wheat fields. One of these paintings entered the collection of Pieter de Boer and his wife Nellie Pressburger.

The P. and N. de Boer Foundation collectionPieter de Boer and his brother Rudolf opened an art dealership in Amsterdam in 1921. Although they sold mainly 17th-century art, they also staged exhibitions of work by contemporary artists. Pieter de Boer and Nellie Pressburger also collected privately, and one of their main areas of interest was the art of Vincent van Gogh. Over the years they managed to acquire three paintings and four drawings by the artist. Following the death of Nellie Pressburger, Pieter de Boer transferred their private collection to a foundation.

Vital supportThe Rijksmuseum is grateful for all the forms of support it receives. Government funding, contributions from the business sector and funding organisations, as well as gifts, bequests and Friends are all of vital importance to the Rijksmuseum.