The Art Newspaper reported on March 27 that a reconstruction of the frame for Vincent van Gogh’s “Three Sunflowers” reveals a bold early Art Deco design featuring dark lacquer, randomly placed gold circles and partly angled outer edges. The painting, created in 1888, has largely remained in private collections since the French couturier Jacques Doucet purchased it in 1912, according to the publication. This limited its public exposure but a newly discovered 1967 photograph showing the work in its original frame has allowed for the detailed reconstruction.
Frame historian Jaffré told The Art Newspaper that he had initially accepted the auction house attribution of the frame to Pierre Legrain. Legrain was a designer who collaborated with Doucet starting in 1919 and is primarily known for his innovative bookbindings, the article explained. After further study, Jaffré now credits the unusual framing to Eileen Gray, an Irish-born interior decorator and designer who also worked with Doucet.
The reconstruction, published by The Art Newspaper, depicts how the 73 by 58 centimetre still life would have appeared in the custom frame around 1913 to 1920. The asymmetrical profile with set-back edges represents an avant-garde choice for the period that contrasts with conventional framing of the era. Van Gogh Museum records show that the Dutch artist produced several versions of sunflowers in Arles during 1888 as he prepared his Yellow House for a visit by Paul Gauguin.
“Three Sunflowers” is among the less familiar works in the series because of its private ownership, The Art Newspaper noted. A family member of the Doucet descendants was photographed with the painting in the frame in 1967, a discovery made in archival material by museum director Lauren Laz. The frame was later separated from the artwork and has since disappeared.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s exhibition on Van Gogh’s sunflowers, which ran from June to October 2026, highlighted two major versions of the motif and explored the artist’s ambitions for the series, according to museum statements. That display followed the National Gallery in London’s 2024-25 show that brought together multiple sunflower paintings in a triptych arrangement with La Berceuse. These recent exhibitions have renewed scholarly interest in how Van Gogh and subsequent owners presented the works.
According to The Art Newspaper, the Sotheby’s catalogue had described the frame as a Pierre Legrain lacquer example when the painting was sold. The publication’s investigation builds on that by providing a visual reconstruction and revised attribution. Gray’s involvement would place the framing among her early design experiments before she gained wider recognition for modernist furniture and interiors.
