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So too for Irises, though here, change is also physical: today, its flowers appear blue when once they were violet. Vincent van Gogh, Irises (1889). Photo courtesy Getty Museum.

An exceptional year for irises, the flower that is a work of art on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save. Robin Lane Fox. June 5 2015. Jump to comments section Print this page.

The resulting Irises is now owned by the Getty Center in Los Angeles, where many contemporary viewers have seen the painting’s blue-hued flowers—but they’re seeing a distorted version.

Kernel of truth: pollen cone stuck in paint reveals where Van Gogh’s Irises grew. His purple flowers have now faded to blue, as revealed during research for a Getty exhibition in October.