About Sunflowers Known for his bold, brilliant paintings and manic behavior, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh is one of the most recognizable artists in Western Art. His two series of Sunflowers are among his most famous. The first series, executed in Paris in 1887, depicts flowers lying on the ground, while the second set, made a year later in Arles, shows a bouquet of sunflowers in a vase. What is interesting about this particular painting is that the sunflowers are wilting. Van Gogh hung the first two paintings in his guestroom in Arles as a way to welcome – and impress – his friend, painter Paul Gauguin, when he came to stay. 1,000 pieces.