In his final hours, Vincent Van Gogh feverishly painted “Tree Roots” (1890), a vibrant explosion of color and form, which many interpret as a visual plea from a tormented mind. Painted near a tangled slope of roots, it’s believed to be his last work before he took his own life in a nearby wheat field. Over a century later, the site of this painting in Auvers-sur-Oise became the center of a heated legal dispute. The homeowners, Jean-François and Hélène Serlinger, turned their property into a tourist site, offering tours for €8 per visit. However, the village mayor, Isabelle Mézières, attempted to seize the land, claiming it should be public. Despite a lower court ruling in favor of the Serlingers in 2023, Mézières vowed to continue the fight, arguing that the roots belong to the people. The real-life location of the painting was identified by Wouter van der Veen, the scientific director of the Van Gogh Institute in France, using a faded postcard that matched the scene in the painting. Van Gogh spent his final hours working on “Tree Roots,” completing it in the afternoon before taking his life.

Source: https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/04/07/court-rules-in-favour-of-homeowners-in-land-dispute-over-site-of-van-goghs-final-painting