New Vincent van Gogh tulip in Ottawa

News article | May 10, 2012

Donated as a gift by the Netherlands, this unique and rare variety of tulip was developed specially to honor the Dutch painter.

It is one of the many varieties that comprise the 32,000 tulips planted by the National Capital Commission (NCC). The Van Gogh tulip can be found in the beds that capture the colours and themes of the artist’s work across from the National Gallery of Canada, in Major’s Hill park, and have bloomed just as the National Gallery is preparing to open its blockbuster summer show Van Gogh: Up Close, on view from May 25 to September 3, 2012.

Canada and the Netherlands continue to enjoy a long friendship, cemented by the pivotal role Canadian soldiers played in the liberation of the Netherlands, and the hospitality extended to the Dutch royal family during the Second World War.

Photo: Courtesy of the National Capital Commission