For the first time in five years, the Van Gogh Museum has purchased a work by Vincent van Gogh: a watercolour entitled Pollard willow. Van Gogh completed the work during the summer of 1882 in The Haque, near his house on the outskirts of the city. The powerful, graphic work shows a pollarded willow tree, a ditch and a rough track, with the Rijnspoor rail depot in the background. Curator of prints and drawings Marije Vellekoop explains why this watercolour is a crucial addition to the Van Gogh Museum's collection.