9 Aug 2026
Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers is one of the most famous paintings in history, but it is also disappearing from the inside out.

In a specialized laboratory in Hamburg, scientists fired high-powered X-rays at microscopic fragments of the canvas to uncover a startling chemical betrayal. The vibrant “Chrome Yellow” that Van Gogh used to capture the light of Southern France is quietly turning into a dull, muddy green. This transformation is happening atom by atom, triggered by the very thing Van Gogh worshipped: light itself.

In this video, we dive into the fascinating intersection of art and chemistry to explain why these iconic flowers don’t look the way they did in 1888, and why modern science may be the only thing buying them more time.

Key Highlights:

The unstable chemistry of “Chrome Yellow” and why Van Gogh chose it.
How particle accelerators at DESY and the ESRF are being used to “read” the atoms in the paint.
The discovery of “CR6” to “CR3” chromium transformation.
Why other masterpieces (like those using Vermilion) are also at risk.
What museums are doing today to slow down this invisible decay.

Featured Artwork: Sunflowers (1888/1889)
Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Scientific Experts: Letizia Monico and Koen Janssens (University of Antwerp)

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