French mayor loses bid to snatch scene of iconic Van Gogh painting from villagers' back garden

Independent

02-04-2025

A village feud over who owns extant tree roots behind Vincent Van Gogh last ever painting has been settled after a local mayor lost a court bid to take the land from a couple's garden.
Just hours before his death in July 1890, Van Gogh painted a scene of tangled tree roots in vivid colours - putting his internal struggle on full display.
In 2020, the very tree roots he painted were identified in the back garden of 48 Rue Daubigny, in the small riverside village of Auvers-sur-Oise where the artist spent his final days.
Since its discovery, the site has been subject of a bitter row between the owners of the land, Jean-François and Hélène Serlinger, and Auvers' mayor, Isabelle Mézières.
The local authorities tried to take the site under public ownership in 2020, claiming it was part of the public highway.
However, a local court ruling in 2023 ruled against the mayor, and now the matter appears to be settled once and for all after the Versailles appeal court backed up the previous ruling.
'We are very happy that this is now over,' Mr Serlinger, 68, told The Independent. 'The mayor tried to grab the bottom part of the sire by saying it was part of the road which is terrible.
'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.'
The couple were inspired by their love for Van Gogh and moved to the quaint French village of Auvers-sur-Oise in 1996.
They acquired the extra land at the bottom of their garden in 2013, but had no idea the roots that lay there were of such significance at the time.
Since the Van Gogh Institute identified the site as the place the Dutch master painted his final masterpiece in 2020, the couple have welcomed visitors from around the globe - including Van Gogh's family.
Art enthusiasts can embark on a 30-minute tour of their garden when they open for the season on April 12 for €8.
Since the appeal judgement was handed down, Ms Mézières has taken to social media to publicly criticised the couple.
'The Roots belong to the people of Auvers!,' she wrote, adding that she would be continuing legal action.
'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 masterpiece painted by Van Gogh before he shot himself in a nearby wheat field, likely hours later.
This painting at first sight seems to display a jumble of bright colours in abstract forms, which are in fact a slope with tree trunks and roots.
The work was not entirely 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.'