Vincent van Gogh's Iconic 'Sunflowers' Painting Under Quarantine in Tokyo
As museums and galleries close in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
From museum and public art institution closures across China to Art Basel Hong Kong’s cancellation, the art world has seen the affects of the coronavirus outbreak. Most recently, Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting from one of the Post-Impressionist painter’s most famous series is the latest casualty of the outbreak as it faces quarantine in Tokyo.
The painting was on its way from London’s National Gallery to Tokyo’s National Museum of Western Art as part of the “Masterpieces from the National Gallery, London” show opening on March 3. With over 60 featured works, the exhibition would comprise of the largest selection of the London gallery’s paintings to tour internationally — with van Gogh’s Sunflowers being the major highlight.
Following the coronavirus outbreak in Japan, the country’s Ministry of Culture has ordered a two-week closure of all national art museums. “We are consulting closely with our partners…we hope that the exhibition will be able to open on 17 March 2020, or as soon as possible after that,” the National Gallery said in a statement. In the meantime, some of Europe’s most prized works remain in the Japanese museum’s quarantine section — and an extended closure is possible.
In other art-related news, Norweigan officials have authorized the demolition of Oslo’s Y-Block building that features two murals by Pablo Picasso.
