A village feud over who owns the roots of the trees depicted in Vincent van Gogh’s last painting was resolved after the local mayor lost a court case over the taking of land from the couple’s garden, The Independent reports.
Hours before his death in July 1890, Van Gogh painted a scene of tangled tree roots in vivid colours, exposing his internal struggle.
In 2020, the tree roots he painted were discovered in the back garden of 48 Rue Daubigny in the small riverside village of Auvers-sur-Oise, where the artist spent his last days.
Since its discovery, the site has been the subject of a bitter struggle between the owners of the land, Jean-François and Hélène Serlinger, and Auvers’ mayor, Isabelle Mézières.
In 2020, the local authorities attempted to transfer the site to public ownership, claiming it was part of a public highway.
However, in 2023, the local court ruled against the mayor, and the matter now seems to have been settled once and for all after the Court of Appeal in Versailles upheld the previous ruling.
“We are very happy that this is now over,” Ms. Serlinger, 68, told The Independent. “But the appeal is very clear, which is great, and now we can use our maximum energy to work on the site and welcome more people from around the world.”
Their love of Van Gogh inspired the couple to move to the quaint village in 1996.
In 2013, they purchased an additional plot of land at the foot of their garden, but at the time they had no idea the roots that lay there were of such significance.
Since the Van Gogh Institute designated the site in 2020 as the place where the Dutch master painted his final masterpiece, the couple have welcomed visitors from all over the world, including the Van Gogh family.
Fans can take a 30-minute tour of the garden for €8 when the season opens on 12 April. After the appeal ruling, Ms. Mézières took to social media to criticise the couple.
“The roots belong to the people of Auvers!” she wrote, adding that she would be continuing legal action. She also said:
“We are taking legal action. There is no question of giving in to the public interest of the people of Auvers over private interests. The question of ownership is not settled. It was the city that had the condition of the roots assessed by an expert and called on the Ministry of Culture to preserve the heritage of the people of Auvers. These roots are a common good, not a commercial object!”
Tree Roots is the last work painted by Van Gogh before he shot himself in a nearby wheat field, probably just hours later.
At first glance, the painting is a jumble of bright colours in abstract shapes that are actually a slope with tree trunks and roots.
The work was not fully completed, and Andries Bonger, the brother-in-law of Vincent’s brother Theo, described it in a letter: “The morning before his death, he had painted a sous-bois [forest scene], full of sun and life.”
