In the French town of Auvers-sur-Oise, Vincent van Gogh’s grave is in urgent need of restoration. Van Gogh spent the prolific last 70 days of his life in the village northwest of Paris, painting around one picture a day before shooting himself in the surrounding wheat fields in July 1890. The local council of Auvers-sur-Oise and the Institut Van Gogh, a non-profit organisation dedicated to conserving the places which inspired the artist, are working to raise €1.2m to repair the Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption church and to make the cemetery where Vincent and his art dealer brother Theo are buried more accessible to visitors.
After a violent storm in October 2015, the roof of the 13th-century church—depicted in Van Gogh’s painting in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris—is leaking and at risk of collapse. The state and regional government pledged last year to finance 60% of the €600,000 cost of repairing the roof. The council, which is contributing 20%, launched a crowdfunding campaign in June to raise the outstanding €120,000. Seven months on, the council has secured almost €57,000 to start the works. The first phase will proceed in May or June in the northern part of the church, which suffered the greatest damage, reports Le Parisien.
But the Institut Van Gogh is still seeking donations for the church and for a separate €600,000 project at the Auvers-sur-Oise cemetery. The funding will be used to protect the brothers’ water-damaged gravestones after four months of heavy rainfall last spring and to install proper drainage, lighting and security systems, says Dominique-Charles Janssens, the president of the organisation. “The cemetery was made to welcome 5,000 to 10,000 people a year and we receive an average of 250,000. It’s the most visited cemetery in France after Père Lachaise [in Paris]. People were still coming and they had their feet in the water.”
The Institut also hopes to restore the church’s grounds, where cars are often now parked, to match Van Gogh’s description of “a little flowery greenery” in a letter from Auvers to his sister Wilhelmina.
Despite donations from the Van Gogh family, museums and individuals, the campaign remains a long way from its target. While the total currently stands at less than €100,000, the aim is to reach €600,000 by the end of July, Janssens says. To participate in the international appeal, go to helpvangogh.heoh.net.
