Vincent van Gogh and Almond Blossom

'Almond Blossom' (1890) by Vincent van Gogh; Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

If I have to choose between Van Gogh, born on March 30, 1853, and Rembrandt, I'll choose Rembrandt any day because there are many of Rembrandt's paintings that I find beautiful. There are not many paintings of Van Gogh that I find truly beautiful, but I will come back to the Almond Blossom over and over again. It's beautiful in colour and even though there is so much merchandising in the shop of the Van Gogh Museum that you could easily get fed up with the painting, it never looses its beauty for me. There is no museum in the world that I have visited so many times as the Van Gogh Museum (I live in Amsterdam and my sister works there). They have great exhibitions and their exhibition space is superb. And I always go and see the Almond Blossom whenever I'm there. It's a painting that makes me happy. I also like the fact that Vincent painted this for his new-born nephew, the son of his beloved brother Theo. It's a shame though that it is not on display in the museum at the moment since it's part of an exhibition in Philadelphia and later on in Ottowa, Canada. It will be back on display in The Netherlands coming 29 September when part of the collection of the Van Gogh Museum (then temporarily closed due to renovations) will be seen in the Hermitage, Amsterdam.