Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers are among his most famous works and are some of the most iconic paintings in the world. In an extraordinary exhibition, the Van Gogh Museum took a new and revealing look at the five publicly-owned versions of sunflowers in a vase. And once again, the Van Gogh Museum opened its doors exclusively to Exhibition on Screen.

Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers are some of the most iconic paintings in the world. What many mistake for one masterpiece, are actually five paintings of sunflowers in vases scattered across galleries in Amsterdam, London, Munich, Philadelphia and Tokyo. This extraordinary feature-length documentary film brings the spectacular series together on-screen as never seen before.

Working closely with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Sunflowers goes beyond a ‘virtual exhibition’, delving into the rich and complex stories behind each of the paintings to unveil the mysteries of the sunflowers. What did the flowers mean to Van Gogh, and why do they resonate so much with audiences today? With a striking portrayal of the artist by actor Jamie de Courcey and fascinating insights from art historians, botanists and everything in between, the film offers a unique insight into Van Gogh’s life and artwork.

Award-winning director David Bickerstaff, who has made two previous films on the artist, Vincent van Gogh: A New Way of Seeing (2015) and Van Gogh & Japan (2019), says:

“It was such a joy to witness how unique each version of the Sunflowers really was, evidence of Van Gogh’s exuberance for experimentation. This cinematic journey brought the sunflowers series into sharper focus for me and revealed a new insight to the tragic circumstances that followed.

Drama, struggle and a passion for life can be seen in every dash of paint in the Sunflower paintings. In my opinion, each one shows honesty and a virtuosity that speaks to the enduring power of an extraordinary artist, who lived an extraordinary life.”

My Thoughts on Sunflowers

I have to say that I’m a lover of documentaries and so the idea behind the Sunflowers documentary had me intrigued to find out more about Van Gogh’s truly amazing piece of artwork and not only is the documentary about the art of Van Gogh, but it also brings us an insight into the work of the artists at the time and the many inspirations that gave them the love for their paintings and for the love of flowers and especially sunflowers.

The documentary is well produced and put together with interviews along with some wonderful virtual walk-throughs of galleries across the globe while being accompanied by some lovely music that takes you on the journey of such amazing art, many of which many of us would never get to see as visiting all the museums is just not possible.

The Sunflowers documentary is not just for art lovers, the production is a delight to watch for anyone that has or hasn’t got an eye for art, it’s a fascinating journey that is a pure delight to watch, I would recommend that if you get the chance to see Sunflowers then grab the chance and give your life a little bit of culture.

Sunflowers is released in cinemas across the UK from 8 June, including Curzon, Everyman, Odeon, Picturehouse, Showcase, Vue and independent cinemas. Find your nearest cinema at exhibitiononscreen.com

A fascinating and delightful look at Van Gogh's work

Movie title: Sunflowers

Movie description: A unique opportunity to see, as never before, this series of spectacular paintings. Features five of the famous Arles Sunflowers from collections in London, Philadelphia, Tokyo, Munich and Amsterdam.

Date published: June 8, 2021

Country: UK

Author: 85mins

Director(s): David Bickerstaff

Actor(s): Jamie De Courcey, Louis Van Tilborgh, Martin Bailey

Genre: Documentary

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Karen Woodham

Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.

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