"It's My Tree Roots": Years-Long Ownership Dispute Leads to Road Boundary Adjustment... Why?

Conclusion in 2020: Tree Roots Identified as Model for Van Gogh's Work
Dispute Begins Between Town and Local Residents

A dispute over the ownership of the tree roots believed to be the model for Vincent van Gogh's last work, "Tree Roots," has continued for several years.

Tree roots along the street in Auvers-sur-Oise, known as the model for Vincent van Gogh's last work. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the British daily The Telegraph on April 20 (local time), the town of Auvers-sur-Oise, located on the outskirts of Paris where van Gogh spent his final days, is engaged in a legal battle with local residents, the Serlanger couple. This small village is located about an hour north of Paris, France, and is where van Gogh spent the last two months of his life.

The dispute began in 2020, when van Gogh experts concluded that the tangled tree roots exposed along the roadside in Auvers-sur-Oise were the same as those depicted in the painting van Gogh created in 1890, his final work. These roots are located on land owned by the Serlanger couple since 2013.

Since then, the site has attracted global attention from the art world, and tourists have continued to visit to see it.

However, a legal dispute arose between the Serlanger couple and the town of Auvers-sur-Oise over the ownership of the roots. The town claimed ownership, asserting that "these tree roots are located on public land along the roadside," and urgently issued an order to adjust the road boundary on September 2 of that year.

On June 1, 2023, and again on March 18 of this year, the court ruled in favor of the Serlanger couple in both the first and second trials. The court ruled that "the sloping path where these roots are located is not public land, as it is unrelated to the maintenance of public road safety."

However, the legal battle appears likely to continue. Isabelle Meziere, mayor of Auvers-sur-Oise, stated on social media, "These roots belong to the residents of Auvers. We cannot put private interests ahead of the public interest of our residents," adding, "The issue of ownership has not yet been resolved."

The Serlanger couple told the French daily Le Parisien, "We have won twice. We have legal rights beyond any doubt," and added, "Now we want to end the fight and take good care of this place."