Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest / Photo John Wronn With his bright sunflowers, searing wheat fields and blazing yellow skies, Vincent van Gogh was fanatic about light. "Oh!

In the late 1880s, Vincent van Gogh spent two years in southern France. Though the period was famously tumultuous for the Dutch artist, it was also remarkably productive: He befriended Joseph Roulin, ...

In this excerpt, Gopnik explores the beginning of Barnes' collecting, including the very first Vincent van Gogh painting to arrive and be displayed in the United States. French peasants at work ...