Restoration of Vincent van Gogh’s Painting of the Van Gogh Museum Supported by Kikkoman Foods Europe B.V. Complete

April 4, 2025

In fall 2024, the restoration of Vincent van Gogh’s painting, 'Olive Grove' (1889), supported by our soy sauce production site in Europe, Kikkoman Foods Europe B.V. (hereinafter KFE), was completed. This painting, part of the permanent collection of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, can be viewed as part of the special exhibition, 'How Van Gogh Came to Groningen,' at the Groninger Museum in Groningen City, where KFE is located, from the end of November 2024 to early May 2025. After the exhibition, the artwork will return to the Van Gogh Museum.

Since its grand opening in 1997, KFE has been involved in promoting the arts in the Netherlands over many years. As part of these contribution activities, and to commemorate its 25th anniversary in November 2023, KFE decided to sponsor the restoration project for the painting 'Olive Grove' by the master Vincent van Gogh, with a contribution of 25,000 EUR to the Van Gogh Museum. A layer of varnish was applied to this painting during a restoration in 1933. Over the nearly 100 years thereafter, this varnish turned yellow, smoothening the surface texture and colors of the painting itself. The current restoration project aimed to return the painting to its original state as intended by Van Gogh. Through meticulous work under a microscope, the varnish was painstakingly removed from the fragile paint surface. This delicate and highly focused task began in November 2023 and was successfully completed after more than a year.

For detailed information about 'Olive Grove' and the overall restoration project, please visit the Van Gogh Museum webpage:

Restoration of Vincent van Gogh's Olive Grove - Van Gogh Museum

KFE personnel involved in supporting the restoration project for this painting commented, 'Kikkoman carries out initiatives under the mission of "the international exchange of food culture." We are thrilled to have been able to contribute to cultural exchange between the Netherlands and Japan through support of this project to restore a historical masterpiece by the world-renowned Van Gogh, here in the Netherlands, the location of our sole Europe soy sauce production site.'

KFE places importance on contributing to the arts in the Netherlands and cultural exchange between Europe and Asia while conducting operations. The company will continue to support the promotion of the wonderful art and culture that are the pride of the Netherlands, including the works of Van Gogh, by contributing to the development of the local community as a good corporate citizen.

Since its grand opening in 1997, KFE has been supporting the promotion of the arts in the Netherlands. This support has been particularly focused on the works of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and Vincent van Gogh, both renowned Dutch master painters.

The Rembrandt House is an art museum located in Amsterdam, which has been converted from the house where the master Rembrandt lived for about 20 years beginning from 1639. It opened to the public in 1911. In 1997, to commemorate the grand opening of its production plant, KFE made donations for the interior restoration of the main building and the construction of a new annex. Following completion of the new annex, KFE has been a sponsor of the museum since 2003. Additionally, the new annex features an exhibition space named the 'Kikkoman Gallery'.

The Van Gogh Museum, which opened in 1973, is an art museum in Amsterdam exhibiting works by Van Gogh and his contemporaries. In 2017, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its grand opening, KFE supported the restoration project for two Van Gogh works—'View of the Sea at Scheveningen' (1882) and 'Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church at Nuenen' (1884/1885) — which were returned to the Van Gogh Museum after having been stolen 14 years earlier. As a member of the Corporate Circle sponsorship program, KFE continues to support the museum's operations and development.