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Self-portrait of a man off center and facing right against a vibrant aqua green background.

The man (Vincent Van Gogh) has painted himself off center from the left, turned three-quarter view facing right, looking straight ahead. He’s fair skinned with close cropped auburn hair, short beard and moustache, closed lips, intense deep-set green eyes, and chiseled features. He wears a brown vest and jacket, white shirt underneath with a large brown button in the center, and no tie. The aqua green background color is subtly worked into the shadows of the skin tones and shirt. Van Gogh’s energetic brush strokes are rich with colors and textures and follow the surfaces of every shape in the painting.

Gallery Text

In early 1888, Van Gogh moved to Arles in the south of France, where he hoped to establish an art colony. Believing that painting could be reinvented through the genre of portraiture, he encouraged his fellow artists to paint themselves, and then to exchange the canvases. After receiving self-portraits from Emile Bernard and Gauguin, who were working together in Brittany at the time, Van Gogh inscribed this painting “To my friend Paul Gauguin,” and sent it to him. He described the process of creating his arresting likeness in several letters to his brother Theo, an art dealer in Paris, explaining how he manipulated his features in response to Japanese prints, changed the contours of his jacket for coloristic effect, and painted the background “pale veronese green” without any shadows. Shortly after he sent the work to Gauguin, however, their friendship deteriorated, and Gauguin sold it for three hundred francs.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1951.65
People
Vincent van Gogh, Dutch (Groot Zundert (Zundert), The Netherlands 1853 - 1890 Auvers-sur-Oise, France)
Title
Self-Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
1888
Culture
Dutch
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/299843

Location

Location
Level 1, Room 1220, European Art, 19th–20th century, Collection of Maurice Wertheim, Class of 1906
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
61.5 x 50.3 cm (24 3/16 x 19 13/16 in.)
framed: 90.4 x 79.7 x 8.3 cm (35 9/16 x 31 3/8 x 3 1/4 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • Signed: red paint, l.r.: Vincent/Arles
  • inscription: u.l., red oil, French, in artist's hand: [barely legible:] a mon ami Paul G[auguin, Arles]
  • inscription: stretcher, blue pencil: 10131F
  • inscription: key of stretcher, graphite: 10131
  • label: back of frame, paper, printed: no. 20
  • exhibition label: backing board, blue ballpoint pen, handwritten: no. 25
  • label: backing board, black marker: MMFA - 6 / 25
  • exhibition label: backing board, paper, printed: F: #0476 H: #1581
  • exhibition label: backing board, typed: SL 84.366
  • label: backing board, black felt-tip, printed and handwritten: no. 24
  • label: backing board, printed: Gustav Knauer[ ] / 173 [ ] / Kunst-Abtei[ ]
  • label: backing board, paper, printed: [ ] er S[ ] / [ ] 9 [ ]
  • label: back of frame, vinyl strip from labelmaker: BMA 4472.8 1969
  • exhibition label: back of frame, paper, printed and typed
  • label: back of frame, white label, blue ball-point ink, handwritten: 8 PTG
  • label: [1948], back of frame, paper, printed and typed: No. 66
  • label: back of frame, paper, printed and typed: [ ] A PROVINC[ ] / [QUE]BE[C]
  • label: back of frame, paper, blue ball-point ink, handwritten: Box #6 / 4 of 4
  • label: back of frame, masking tape with blue ball-point ink, handwritten: MFA 65-58
  • exhibition label: back of frame, paper: #TL 60.9.33
  • label: back of frame, paper: Case no. 4-31, catal. #28
  • label: back of frame, paper, typewritten
  • label: center of backing board, black ink, handwritten: EIGENTUM / der Frau Geheimrat / v. Tschudi

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Vincent van Gogh, Arles, (1888,) gift; to Paul Gauguin, (1888-1897) sold. [Ambroise Vollard, Paris.] [Paul Cassirer Gallery, Berlin.] Dr. Hugo von Tschudi, Berlin and then Munich by c. 1909 (1906-1911), by descent; to his widow, Angela von Tschudi, Munich (1911-1919), to Neue Staatsgalerie, Munich (1919-1938); removed from the collection by the National Socialist (Nazi) authorities in 1938, (EK16554) consigned; to [Theodor Fischer Gallery, Lucerne, Switzerland, for sale June 30, 1939, lot 45]; to Maurice Wertheim (1939-1951) bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1951.



Notes:
Gauguin sold the painting for Fr 300; this might be noted in Judith Gerard, "Absence de Gauguin", a 1953 typescript seen by Jirit-Wasiutynski (see 1984 Fogg/Straus study note 46)
Hugo von Tschudi bought the painting for the Nationalgalerie, Berlin, with funds from sponsors, but did not submit it to the Kaiser for pre-approval. He took the painting to Munich when he assumed a post there.
According to Stephanie Barron, the van Gogh was removed from the Neue Staatsgalerie on March 27, 1938 and stored at Schloss Niederschönhausen in August of that year. (Barron, 1991, pp. 135-146)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest from the Collection of Maurice Wertheim, Class of 1906
Accession Year
1951
Object Number
1951.65
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

THIS WORK HAS SIGNIFICANT LOAN RESTRICTIONS BY THE TERMS OF ITS ACQUISITION TO THE HARVARD ART MUSEUMS.

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Publication History

  • Kristian Romare, "Japan: van Gogh's Utopia", Sydsvenska Dagbladet (Malmo, Sweden), repr.
  • Elisabeth Duquesne-Van Gogh, Persönliche Erinnerungen an Vincent Van Gogh (Munich, Germany, 1911), repr. as frontispiece; listed in credits for figures as in a Munich private collection
  • Vincent van Gogh, Brieven aan zijn broeder (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1914), v. iii, no. 537, p. 174; no. 545, pp. 204-205
  • Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub, "Vincent van Gogh", Der Cicerone (August 1922), vol. XIV, no. 15, repr. p. 625
  • Julius Meier-Graefe, Vincent, R. Piper (Munich, Germany, 1922), repr. v. II, pl. 79
  • Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub, Vincent van Gogh, Klinkhardt & Biermann (Leipzig, Germany, 1922), repr.
  • Kurt Pfister, Vincent van Gogh, G. Kiepenheuer (Potsdam, Germany, 1922), repr. in color as frontispiece
  • Florent Fels, Van Gogh, Delamain, Boutilliau et Cie (Paris, France, 1924), repr.
  • Vincent van Gogh, exh. cat., Wurtembergischer Kunstverein, Kunstgebäude (Stuttgart, Germany, 1924), no. 40
  • Württembergisher Kunstverein, exh. cat. (Stuttgart, Germany, 1924), repr. no. 40
  • M. R. Mobius, "Vincent van Gogh: zum Selbstbildnis von 1889", Der Cicerone (August 1926), vol. XVIII, no. 15, repr. p. 513
  • Wilhelm Uhde, Vincent van Gogh, Editions Phaidon (Vienna, Austria, 1936), repr. pl. [58?]
  • Walter Pach, Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890; a study of the artist and his work in relation to his times, Artbook Museum (New York, NY, 1936), repr. in color as frontispiece
  • W. Scherjon and Willem Josiah de Gruyter, Vincent van Gogh's Great Period (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1937), no. 90
  • Gemälde und Plastiken moderner Meister aus deutschen Museen, auct. cat., Galerie Fischer (Lucerne, Switzerland, 1939), no. 45, repr. p. 29
  • C. M. Brooks, Jr., Vincent van Gogh, a Bibliography (New York, NY, 1942), repr. as frontispiece
  • Alfred M. Frankfurter, "Today's Collectors: Modern Milestones", Art News (June 1946), vol. XLV, no. 4, p. 64; repr. in color on cover
  • French Painting since 1870, lent by Maurice Wertheim, Class of 1906, exh. cat., Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1946), pp. 30-33, repr. p. 31
  • Six Masters of Post-Impressionism, exh. cat., Wildenstein & Company (New York, NY, 1948), no. 66
  • "Portrait of the Artist", Art News (November 1949), vol. XIX, repr. in color p. 50
  • "The Van Gogh Mystery Case", Life [magazine] (December 19, 1949), pp. 26-27, repr. p. 26
  • [Unidentified article], New York Herald Tribune (New York, NY, December 1, 1949), repr.
  • La Peinture Française Depuis 1870: Collection Maurice Wertheim, exh. cat., Tom Taylor (Québec, Canada, 1949), no. 14, pp. 38-41
  • Trends in European Painting, exh. cat., Century Association (New York, NY, 1949), repr. as frontispiece, pl. 1
  • Van Gogh, paintings and drawings: a special loan exhibition, exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY, 1949), no. 78a
  • Meyer Schapiro, Vincent van Gogh, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (New York, NY, 1950), repr. in color on cover
  • John Coolidge, "The Wertheim Collection", Harvard Alumni Bulletin, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, July 7, 1951), repr. p. 755
  • Jean Leymarie, Van Gogh, P. Tisne (Paris, France, 1951), no. 80
  • Howard Devree, "By French Masters: The Metropolitan Shows Wertheim Collection", The New York Times (New York, NY, July 6 1952), p. 6, p. 6
  • John Rewald, "Fakes", Art News (March 1953), vol. LII
  • Emily Genauer, "Mystery by Candlelight", This Week (October 17, 1954), detail repr. p. 13
  • John Rewald, History of Post-Impressionism, The Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY, 1956?), repr.
  • Howard Devree, "By French Masters: Memorable Loan Show in Philadelphia", The New York Times (New York, NY, July 7 1957), p. 70, p. 70
  • Heinrich Neumayer, Maler (Zeit und Bildnis), Verlag Brüder Rosenbaum (Vienna, Austria, 1958)
  • Vincent van Gogh, The Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh (Greenwich, CT, 1958), vol. III, p. 37, passim
  • John P. Sedgwick, Art Appreciation Made Simple, Made Simple Books (New York, NY, 1959), repr.
  • John Canaday, Mainstreams of Modern Art, Henry Holt and Co. (New York, NY, 1959), repr. fig. 443
  • Robert S. Davidson, ed., The Humanities in Contemporary Life, Henry Holt and Co. (New York, NY, 1960), repr.
  • The Maurice Wertheim Catalogue: Modern French Art-- Monet to Picasso, exh. cat., North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh, NC, 1960), pp. 18-20, repr. p. 19
  • Manuel Gasser, Das Selbstbildnis, Kinder Verlag (Zurich, Switzerland, 1961), pp. 200-203; repr. in color
  • Henri Perruchot, La Vie de Gauguin, Hachette (Paris, France, 1961), repr. p. 127
  • Franz Roh, "Entartete" Kunst: Kunstbarbarei im Dritten Reich, Fackeltrager-Verlag (Hannover, Germany, 1962), pp. 57, 233-234
  • [Unidentified article], Suddeutsche Zeitung (December 8, 1962 - December 9, 1962), nr. 294, repr.
  • Painting of the Month, brochure, British Broadcasting Corporation (London, England, August 1962), repr.
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection: Manet to Picasso, exh. cat., The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Houston, TX, 1962), pp. 22, 24, pl. 6
  • Heinz Lieser, Vincent van Gogh--Wie Er Sich Sah? (Munich, Germany, 1963), repr. pl. 13
  • Kindlers Malerei Lexicon, Kindler Verlag (Zurich, Switzerland, 1964 - 1966), repr. vol. II
  • Fritz Erpel, Van Gogh: Self-Portraits, Bruno Cassirer (Oxford, England, 1964), no. 35
  • Edda Fonda, Arte Moderna, Fratelli Fabbri Editori (Milan, Italy, 1967), repr.
  • Irving Stone, Lust for Life, Washington Square Press (New York, NY, 1967), repr.
  • Françoise Cachin, Gauguin, Livre de Poche (Paris, France, 1968), repr.
  • Jean Leymarie, Who was van Gogh?, Skira (Geneva, Switzerland, 1968), pp. 107, 120, 138; repr. p. 121
  • Rudolph Herman Fuchs, "Dutch Modern Classics", Delta, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge, England, Winter 1969 - Winter 1970), vol. XII, no. 4, pp. 13-16, repr. p. 15
  • Robert Wallace, The World of van Gogh, Time-Life Books (New York, NY, 1969), repr. in color, p. 178
  • Jacob Baart de la Faille, The Works of Vincent Van Gogh, His Paintings and Drawings, Reynal (New York, NY, 1970), no. 475
  • Van Gogh, University of Wisconsin Press (Tokyo, Japan, 1970), repr. in color no. 37
  • Mark Roskill, Van Gogh, Gauguin and the Impressionist Circle (Greenwich, CT, 1970), pp. 129, 241, plates VII and 102
  • Wayne V. Anderson, Gauguin's Paradise Lost, Viking Press (New York, NY, 1971), repr.
  • Paolo Lecaldano, L'Opera pittorica completa di Van Gogh, Rizzoli (Milan, Italy, 1971), v. II, p. 213, repr. pl. LXXXIV
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection, exh. cat., Maine State Museum (Augusta, ME, 1972), no. 39
  • Jean-Luc Duval, Le Journal de l'Art Moderne, Skira (Geneva, Switzerland, 1973), p. 48
  • Meyer Schapiro, Vincent, Nouvelles Editions Françaises (Paris, France, 1973), repr. in color, p. 1
  • Social Psychology: Explorations in Understanding, CRM Books (Del Mar, CA, 1974), repr. p. 314
  • John Russell, The Meanings of Modern Art, vol. I: The Secret Revolution, The Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY, 1974), repr. fig. 32, p. 22
  • Brian Petrie, Van Gogh: paintings, drawings and prints, Phaidon Press (London, England, 1974), repr. in color p. 68
  • Yasushi Inoue and Yoshiaki Tono, Gogh, Shogakukan Inc. (Tokyo, Japan, 1976), repr. in color p. 30
  • Evert van Uitert, Vincent van Gogh : Leben und Werk, Verlag M. DuMont Schauberg (Köln, Germany, 1976), repr. in b/w no. 56; text p. 90
  • Herbert Frank, Vincent van Gogh in Selbstzeugnissen und Bilddokumenten, Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH (Reinbek bei Hamburg, 1976), repr. p. 73
  • Frank Whitford, Japanese Prints and Western Painters, Studio Vista (London, England, 1977), repr. in color pl. 24
  • Griselda Pollock and Fred Orton, Vincent van Gogh: Artist of His Time, Phaidon Press (Oxford, England, 1978), fig. 40, p. 52
  • Hartwig Garnerus, "...als Arnulf Rainer als van Gogh als Rembrandt als...: Anmerkungen zu Rainers van-Gogh-Ubermalungen", Die Kunst (November 1980), heft 11 B20365E, pp. 715-719, repr. in b/w fig. 2, p. 716
  • Jan Hulsker, The Complete van Gogh: Paintings, Drawings, Sketches (New York, NY, 1980), no. 1581
  • François Berthier, Van Gogh et le Japon, brochure, Publications Orientalistes de France (Paris, France, 1980?), repr. b/w fig. 20, p. 24
  • John Russell, The Meanings of Modern Art, Harper & Row (New York, NY, 1981), repr. in b/w p. 26
  • Bogomila Welsh-Ovcharov, Vincent van Gogh and the Birth of Cloisonism, exh. cat., Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1981), fig. 32, pp. 49, 184
  • A.M. Hammacher and Renilde Hammacher, Van Gogh: A Documentary Biography (New York, NY, 1982), p. 176, repr.
  • Douglas Cooper, Paul Gauguin: 45 Lettres à Vincent, Théo et Jo van Gogh, Staatsuitgeverij and La Bibliotheque des Arts ('s-Gravenhage, Netherlands, and Lausanne, Switzerland, 1983), repr. b/w p. 10
  • John E. Gedo, Portraits of the artist: psychoanalysis of creativity and its vicissitudes, The Guilford Press (New York, NY and London, England, 1983), repr. in b/w fig. 14, p. 138
  • Bennett Schiff, "Triumph and Tragedy in the Land of 'Blue Tones and Gay Colors' ", Smithsonian (October 1984), repr. in color p. 76
  • Jean-François Barrielle, La vie et l'Oeuvre de Vincent van Gogh, ACR Edition-Vilo (Paris, France, 1984), repr. in color p. 111
  • Ronald Pickvance, Van Gogh in Arles, exh. cat., Metropolitan Museum of Art / Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (New York, NY, 1984), no. 99, p. 171, repr. in color opposite p.
  • Vojtech Jirat-Wasiutynski and H. Travers Newton, Vincent Van Gogh's Self Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin: An Historical and Technical Study, Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1984)
  • Vivien Raynor, "Art: Impressionist Show at the I.B.M. Gallery" [review], The New York Times (New York, NY, April 26, 1985), p. C24
  • G. Freisinger, "Second Impressions", Harvard Magazine (Cambridge, MA, May 1985 - June 1985), p. 42 ill. p. 43
  • Pascal Bonafoux, Portraits of the Artist: The Self-Portrait in Painting, Skira Rizzoli (New York, NY, 1985), repr. in color p. 125
  • Bruce Bernard, ed., Vincent by Himself: A Selection of van Gogh's Paintings and Drawings together with Extracts from his Letters, Little, Brown & Company (Boston, MA, 1985), repr. in color p. 242
  • Bernard Zurcher, Vincent van Gogh: Art, Life, and Letters, Rizzoli (New York, NY, 1985), color plate 120
  • Kristin A. Mortimer and William G. Klingelhofer, Harvard University Art Museums: A Guide to the Collections, Harvard University Art Museums and Abbeville Press (Cambridge and New York, 1986), no. 221, p. 194, repr. in color
  • The Artists who Left the Great Works: van Gogh, The Shinshusha Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan, 1986?), repr. in color p. 28
  • Pascal Bonafoux, Van Gogh par Vincent, Denoel (Paris, France, 1986), repr. in color between pages 96 and 97
  • Vincent van Gogh, Asahi Shimbun Press (Japan, 1987), repr. in color no. 35
  • Tsukasa Kodera, "Van Gogh and Japan", Dutch Heights (December 1988), vol. 4, repr. in color p. 12
  • John O'Brian, Degas to Matisse: the Maurice Wertheim Collection, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. and Fogg Art Museum (New York, NY and Cambridge, MA, 1988), no. 19, pp. 90-94; repr. in color p. 91, b/w uv repr. p. 93
  • Mario-Andreas von Lüttichau, "Entartete Kunst", Du (July 1989), heft nr. 7, text pp. 38-41; repr. p. 38
  • Ron Manheim, "The 'Germanic' van Gogh: a case study of cultural annexation", Simiolus (1989), vol. 19, no. 4, repr. fig. 4, b/2 p. 285; text p. 284
  • Walter Feilchenfeldt, "Van Gogh Fakes: the Wacker affair with an illustrated catalogue of the forgerie, Simiolus (1989), vol. 19, no. 4, repr. in b/w p. 302
  • Nathan Goldstein, Design and Composition, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1989), repr. in color as pl 18
  • Françoise Cachin, Gauguin: "ce malgre moi de sauvage", Découvertes Gallimard (Paris, France, 1989), repr. in b/w p. 152
  • Stefan van Raay, ed., Imitation and Inspiration: Japanese Influence on Dutch Art, Art Unlimited Books D'Arts (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1989), repr. in color p. 107; text, pps. 106-108
  • Victor Merlhes, Paul Gauguin et Vincent van Gogh 1887-1888: Lettres Retrouvees, Sources Ignorees, Avanti et après (Taravao, Tahiti, 1989), repr. in color p. 116
  • Torsten Kramer, Portratmalerei, Arbeitsheft fur die Oberstufedes Gymnasiums, Ernst Klett Verlag (Stuttgart, Germany, 1989), repr. in color abb. 21, p. 11 of repr.
  • Keith Wheldon, Van Gogh, Brompton Books, Ltd (London, England, 1989), repr. in color p. 111
  • Massimo Gemin, Van Gogh, Arch Cape Press (New York, NY, 1989), repr. in color no. 37, p. 59
  • Bertrand Lavier and Elisabeth Lebovici, "La Touche de van Gogh", Beaux Arts Magazine (April 1990), no. 78, ill. p. 77
  • Jonathan Petropolous, "Saving Culture from the Nazis", Harvard Magazine (Cambridge, MA, March 1990 - April 1990), cover ill.
  • Juleke Van Lindert and Evert van Uitert, Een eigentijdse expressie: Vincent van Gogh en zijn portretten, Meulenhoff/Landshoff (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1990), repr. in b/w fig. 109, p. 118
  • MaryAnne Stevens, Emile Bernard 1868-1941: A Pioneer of Modern Art, exh. cat., Staadtische Kunsthalle/Van Gogh Museum/Waanders Publishers (Mannheim, Germany/Amsterdam/Zwolle, 1990), repr. in b/w fig. 13, p. 42; text, p. 43
  • Edgar Peters Bowron, European Paintings Before 1900 in the Fogg Art Museum: A Summary Catalogue including Paintings in the Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 1990), p. 89, color plate; p. 110, 255, repr. b/w cat. no. 383
  • Barbara A. Ramsay-Jolicoeur and Ian N. M. Wainwright, Shared Responsibility: A Seminar for Curators and Conservators, National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, Canada, 1990), repr. in b/w fig. 18, p. 67 and text; also in French p. 73
  • David Sweetman, The Love of Many Things: A Life of Vincent van Gogh, Hodder and Stoughton (London, England, 1990), repr. in color pl. I
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection and Selected Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Paintings and Drawings in the Fogg Art Museum, exh. cat., Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (New York, NY, 1990), repr. in color no. 28, p. 87
  • David Sweetman, Van Gogh: His Life and His Art, Crown Publishers Inc. (New York, NY, 1990), colorplate I, text pp. 280-281
  • Jan Hulsker, Vincent and Theo van Gogh: a Dual Biography, Fuller Publications (Ann Arbor, MI, 1990), p. 297, fig. 82
  • Hans Bronkhorst, Vincent van Gogh, Portland House (New York, NY, 1990), repr. in color p. 86; text p. 91
  • Tsukasa Kodera, Vincent van Gogh: Christianity versus Nature, John Benjamins Publishing Co. (Amsterdam / Philadelphia PA, 1990), repr. in color pl. 4; text p. 56ff; repr. in b/w fig. 74, 74a (x-ray)
  • Vincent van Gogh: Painter, Printmaker, Collector, exh. cat., Norton Simon Museum (Pasadena, CA, 1990), repr. in b/w, fig. 11, p. 9
  • "Is there Another Doctor in the House?", Explore magazine, University of Kansas (Spring 1991), repr. p. 3
  • Eliane Escoubas, [Unidentified article], Dossier: Art et phenomenologie (1991), no. 7, repr. in b/w p. 182
  • Charlotte van Rappard-Boon and Willem van Gulik, Catalogue of the van Gogh Museum's Collection of Japanese Prints, Van Gogh Museum / Waanders Publishers (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1991), repr. in color fig. 29, p. 33; text p. 32 and fig. 34, p. 39, b/w, UV photo
  • Post-Impressionists and Les Nabis, Dohosha Shuppan (Japan, 1991), repr. in color, p. 15
  • Jutta Hulsewig-Johnen, O Mensch!: Das Bildnis des Expressionismus, Karl Kerber Verlag (Bonn, Germany, 1992), repr. in b/w p. 65
  • Judy Sund, True to Temperament: van Gogh and the French Naturalist Literature, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge, England, 1992), repr. in b/w p. 189; text pp. 188-190
  • Vincent van Gogh and Japan, exh. cat., National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (Kyoto, Japan, 1992), repr. fig. 20, p. 31, in b/w and fig. 23, p. 33, in b/w, ultraviolet
  • Kodera Tsukasa and Yvette Rosenberg, The Mythology of Vincent van Gogh, TV Asahi, John Benjamins (Tokyo, Japan and Philadelphia, PA, 1993), repr. no. 145, p. 265
  • Carol M. Zemel, Vincent van Gogh, Rizzoli Publications (New York, NY, 1993), repr. in color pl. 2
  • Gilles Plazy, "Le Vertige du Miroir: Van Gogh et ses Autoportraits", Beaux Arts Magazine, Publications Nuit et Jour (Levallois, France, June 1994), no. 124, ill. p. 92
  • Christoph Zuschlag, Entartete Kunst: Austellungsstrategien im Nazi-Deutschland, Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft Worms (Worms, Germany, 1995), pp. 363-364; fig. 49
  • Lost Paradise: Symbolist Europe, exh. cat., The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Montreal, Canada, 1995), p. 245-246, repr.
  • Genpei Akasegawa, "Cezanne, Sesshu and Van Gogh", Taiyo (The Sun) (Winter 1996), p. 100
  • Sidney Perkowitz, Empire of Light: A History of Discovery in Science and Art, Henry Holt (New York, NY, 1996), pp. 120-121
  • Jan Hulsker, The New Complete Van Gogh: Paintings, Drawings, Sketches: Revised and enlarged, J. M. Meulenhoff (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1996), no. 1581, repr.
  • Andrea Pophanken, "Austellungen und Veranstaltungen", Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen Jahresbericht (1997), pp. 33-34, pp. 33-34, repr. in b/w
  • Dr. Hugo von Tschudi, Manet Bis Van Gogh, exh. cat., Prestel Verlag (Munchen, 1997)
  • Masterpieces of world art : Fogg Art Museum, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1997
  • Oskar Bätschmann, The Artist in the Modern World, A Conflict between Market and Self-Expression, DuMont Buchverlag (Cologne, Germany, 1997), p. 147, fig. 101, repr. in b/w
  • Michael F. Marmor, MD and James G. Ravin, The Eye of the Artist, Mosby- Year Book, Inc. (St. Louis, MO, 1997), repr. in color p. 111 as fig. 10-2; pp. 110-117
  • Hans Belting, Das Unsichtbare Meisterwerk, Verlag C.H. Beck (Munich, Germany, 1998), p. 215; repr. p. 214 as fig. 71
  • Cynthia Saltzman, Portrait of Dr. Gachet: The Story of a van Gogh Masterpiece, Viking Press (New York, NY, 1998), repr. in b/w following p. 200
  • Stefan Koldehoff, "Vincent und die Wissenschaft", Art [Das Kunstmagazin] (Hamburg, Germany, June 1999), no. 6, pp. 78-85, p. 82, repr. in colour
  • Yolande Clergue, Le Regard de Vincent Van Gogh sur les estampes japonaises du XIXè siècle, exh. cat., Association pour la Création de la Fondation Vincent Van Gogh (Arles, France, 1999), p. 67, repr. in b/w
  • Seiyo Bijutsukan [The History of Western Art], Shogakukan Inc. (Tokyo, Japan, 1999), p. 893, repr. in color; detail repr. pp. 3, 21
  • Bogomila Welsh-Ovcharov, Van Gogh in Provence and Auvers, Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, Inc. (New York, 1999), repr. p. 152
  • Dieter Beaujean, Vincent van Gogh: Leben und Werk, Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft (Cologne, Germany, 1999), p. 59, repr. in color
  • Leonard Blussé, ed., Bridging the Divide: 400 Years, The Netherlands - Japan, Hotei Publishing (Leiden, The Netherlands, 2000), repr. in color p. 169
  • Sam Hunter, Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (New York, NY, 2000), pp. 45-46, repr. as fig. 52
  • Vojtech Jirat-Wasiutynski and H. Travers Newton, Technique and Meaning in the Paintings of Paul Gauguin, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge, England, 2000), pp. 106-107, repr. in b/w as fig. 48
  • Debora Silverman, Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Search for Sacred Art, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY, 2000), pp. 27-46, repr. in color as fig. 3; detail repr. as fig. 9; repr. on cover
  • Roland Dorn, Van Gogh Face to Face, The Portraits, exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, MI, 2000), p. 138, fig. 129, repr. in color
  • Linda Whiteley, Van Gogh Life and Works, MQ Publications Ltd. (London UK, 2000), pp. 96-97, repr. in color
  • George T.M. Shackelford, Vincent van Gogh - The Painter and the Portrait, Universe Publishing (New York, 2000), pp. 6, detail repr. in color detail, 32, 34, repr. in color, 76
  • Elizabeth Childs, "Seeking the Studio of the South: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Avant-Garde Identity", exh. cat., Saint Louis Art Museum/Rizzoli International Publications (Saint Louis, MO, 2001), pp.129-130, repr. in color p. 112
  • Vojtech Jirat-Wasiutynski, "Van Gogh in the South: Antimodernism and Exoticism in the Arlesian Paintings", Policing the Boundaries of Modernity: Antimodernism and Artistic Experience, University of Toronto Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2001), pp. 177-191, p. 186; repr. as fig. 11.10
  • Daniel Wildenstein, Gauguin: Premier itinéraire d'un sauvage, catalogue de l'oeuvre peint (1873-1888), Skira/Seuil (Milan, Italy, and Paris, France, 2001), vol. II, under no. 309; pp. 479, 483, repr.
  • Debra N. Mancoff, Highlights of the Exhibition Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South, The Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, 2001), p. 34; det. repr. in color p. 3; p. 36, repr. in color as fig. 22
  • Nancy Mowll Mathews, Paul Gauguin: An Erotic Life, Yale University Press (New Haven and London, 2001), p. 117, repr. in color as fig. 35
  • Gilles Néret, Renoir: Painter of Happiness, Taschen (Köln, Germany, 2001), repr. in color, p. 179
  • Susan Goldman Rubin, The Yellow House: Vincent van Gogh & Paul Gauguin Side by Side, Harry N. Abrams, Inc./Art Institute of Chicago (New York, NY, 2001), p. 28, repr. in color
  • Douglas Druick and Peter Kort Zegers, Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South, exh. cat., The Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, IL, 2001), p. 148, repr. in color as pl. 73; repr. on front cover
  • "Absinthe Friends", Holland Herald, KLM (Amstelveen, The Netherlands, March 2002), vol. 37, no. 3
  • Nathalie Le Foll, "Internet Navigué et Approuvé", Connaissance des Arts (February 2002), no. 591, p. 33, repr. p. 33
  • Wulf Herzogenrath and Dorothee Hansen, Van Gogh: Felder - Das Mohnfeld und der Künstlerstreit, exh. cat., Kunsthalle Bremen (Bremen, Germany, 2002), p. 25, repr. in color
  • Cornelia Homburg, "Vincent van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: Colleagues, Competitors, Friends", Van Gogh's Imaginary Museum: Exploring the Artist's Inner World, Van Gogh Museum / Harry N. Abrams (Amsterdam and New York NY, 2003), pp. 113-122, p. 120, repr. as fig. 125
  • Christopher Reed, "Wrong!", Harvard Magazine (Cambridge, MA, September 2004-October 2004), vol. 107, no. 1, pp. 40-51, pp. 42-43, ill.
  • H. Harvard Arnason, History of Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Photography, Prentice Hall (Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2004), pp. 64-65, repr. as fig. 3.21
  • Shearer West, Portraiture, Oxford University Press (NY) and Oxford University Press (UK) (Oxford, 2004), p. 182, repr. p. 180 as fig. 113
  • Hendrik Kolenberg and Anne Ryan, 19th Century Australian Watercolours Drawings & Pastels from the Gallery's Collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sidney, N.S.W., Australia, 2005), p. 82, repr.
  • Jacquelynn Baas, Smile of the Buddha: Eastern Philosophy and Western Art from Monet to Today, University of California Press (Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London, 2005), pp. 27, 32-33, repr. in color p. 26
  • van Gogh Echt Falsch: Zwei Selbstbildnisse der Sammlung Emil Bührle, exh. cat., Stiftung Sammlung E. G. Bührle (Zürich, Switzerland, 2005), pp. 16-18, repr. in color p. 17 as abb.19; repr. p. 23 as abb. 25
  • Who Am I? Self-Portraits in Art and Writing, website, National Gallery of Art, 2005, repr. in biographical section
  • David Rollow, "Creation and Chaos", The Boston Globe (December 17 2006), ill. p. K6,
  • Margaret Weigel, "Visual Arts::Smart Art", WBUR.org (February 2006)
  • Walter Feilchenfeldt, By Appointment Only: Cezanne, Van Gogh and Some Secrets of Art Dealing, Thames & Hudson (New York, 2006), p. 114, repr. p. 114
  • Charlotte van Rappard-Boon, Willem van Gulik, Keiko van Bremen, and Tsukasa Kodera, Catalogue of the van Gogh Museum's Collection of Japanese Prints, Van Gogh Museum / Waanders Publishers (Amsterdam, 2006), pp. 32-33, repr. p. 33 as fig. 29; p. 39 ultraviolet photograph repr. as fig. 34
  • Richard R. Brettell and Stephen F. Eisenman, Nineteenth-Century Art in the Norton Simon Museum, Yale University Press (New Haven CT and London, 2006), vol. I, p. 424, repr. in b/w as fig. 111b
  • Martin Gayford, The Yellow House: van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles, Little, Brown & Company (New York, NY, 2006), pp. 5-7; repr. in b/w p. 6
  • Tsukasa Kodera, Vincent Willem van Gogh, Shogakukan Inc. (Japan, 2006), repr. pp. 75, 97
  • Peter Schjeldahl, Different Strokes: Van Gogh and Gauguin in Arles, The New Yorker (New York, February 5, 2007), 82, issue 48, pp. 70-74, p. 72
  • Yoshiyuki Furutani, Susumu Shimoyama, Hideyuki Ohara, and Hiroshi Yoshida, "Daubigny's Garden" 1890 by Vincent van Gogh (Hiroshima, 2008), p. 84, repr. p. 84 as pl. 2
  • Stephan Wolohojian and Alvin L. Clark, Jr., Harvard Art Museum/ Handbook, ed. Stephan Wolohojian, Harvard Art Museum (Cambridge, 2008), p. 170, repr.
  • Benedict Leca, ed., Rembrandt: Three Faces of the Master, exh. cat., Cincinnati Art Museum (Cincinnati, Ohio, 2008), repr. in color as Fig. 2 on p.22.
  • Tsukasa Kodera, The Life of Vincent van Gogh, Shogakukan Inc. (Tokyo, 2008), repr. as image plate 3, X-ray of painting repr. p. 177
  • Wouter van der Veen, "Van Gogh: A Literary Mind, Literature in the correspondence of Vincent van Gogh", Van Gogh Studies, ed. Chris Stolwijk (Amsterdam, 2009), vol. 2, pp. 200-201, fig. 25
  • Bettina Gockel, "'...und zuletzt nahm sie einen Schuh vom Vatter zum ihn abmalen, weil ihr nicht einfiel was sonst malen.' Schuhe als Ursprungsmythos der modernen Kunst", Zurich Studies in the History of Art (2010/2011), 17/18, pp. 665-688, p. 678, repr. p. 681 as fig. 13
  • Anna Gruetzner Robins, "'Manet and the Post-Impressionists': A Checklist of Exhibits", Burlington Magazine (December 2010), 152, no. 1293, pp.790
  • Johnny Golding, Deleuze and Contemporary Art, ed. Stephen Zepke, Edinburgh University Press (Edinburgh, 2010), fig. 8.1, p. 133
  • Stefan Muntwyler, Farbpigmente Farbstoffe Farbgeschichten, Gewerbemuseum Winterthur (Winterthur, Switzerland, 2010), p. 142, repr. in color p. 143
  • Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, Van Gogh: The Life, Random House (New York, 2011), p. 625, repr. in color plate sec. 2, following p. 590
  • Clémence Simon, Van Gogh: À la recherche de Van Gogh, Dada: la première revue d'art, no. 179, pp. 6-9, 2012, p. 8, reproduced [in color]
  • Sjraar van Heugten, Vincent van Gogh: rêves de Japon, exh. cat., Pinacotheque de Paris (Paris, France, 2012), p. 31, reproduced
  • H. Harvard Arnason and Elizabeth Mansfield, History of Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Photography, Pearson Education, Inc. (Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2013), repr. as fig. 3.27 on p. 63
  • Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale, auct. cat., Christie's, New York (November 5, 2013), repr. p. 81 as figure 7
  • Marie Novion, Van Gogh, Éditions Arola (January 2013), p. 8, repr.
  • Elizabeth M. Rudy, "Researching the Wertheim Collection at the Harvard Art Museums", Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals (Summer 2014), Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 301-6, p. 302
  • Olaf Peters, "The Attack on Art", Apollo (2014), CLXXIX, NO. 618, pp. 130-35, p. 135; p. 133, as fig. 5 (in photograph as confiscated "degenerate" art); p. 135 as fig. 9 (in photograph of auction, 1939)
  • Isabelle Cahn, Natacha Allet, Paul Denis, and Nienke Bakker, Van Gogh/Artaud. Le suicidé de la société, exh. cat., Musée d'Orsay (Paris, 2014), pp. 37, 39, fig. 12
  • Christine Medycky, "Hitler's 'degenerate art' on view in Liège", The Bulletin ([e-journal], February 17, 2015), http://www.expats.com/hitlers-degenerate-art-view-liege, accessed December 12, 2017
  • Benjamin Buchloh, "Two Mediterranean Self-Portraits, Van Gogh's 'Bonze' and Duchamp's 'Bond'", Van Gogh - Duchamp: Oil & Water?, Fondation Vincent van Gogh (2015), pp. 44-54, pp. 44-54, repr. p. 44 and cover
  • Alberto Giacometti: L'Homme au Doigt, 1947, auct. cat., Christie's, New York (New York, May 11, 2015), repr. on p. 23
  • Stefan Koldehoff, Ich und Van Gogh: Bilder, Sammler und ihre abenteuerlichen Geschichten, Galiani (Berlin, 2015), pp. 62-65, repr.
  • Andreas Plackinger, KünstlerBilder: Inszenierung und Tradition, Prestel (Munich, 2015), pp. 9-11, fig. 2
  • Tobia Bezzola and Sandra Gianfreda, Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh...Japanese Inspirations, exh. cat., Steidl (Göttingen, Germany, 2015), pp. 22-23 + 72, repr.
  • Sjraar van Heugten, Van Gogh in Provence: Modernizing Tradition, Actes Sud (Arles, 2016), pp. 100-101, repr. p. 100, fig. 65
  • "A Clearer View of the Collections", Index Magazine, Harvard Art Museums (December 5, 2017), https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/article/a-clearer-view-of-the-collections, accessed December 12, 2017
  • Lukas Gloor and Sylvie Wuhrmann, Chefs-d'oeuvre de la collection Bührle: Manet, Cézanne, Monet, Van Gogh..., exh. cat., Fondation de l'Hermitage (Lausanne, 2017), pp. 29-31, repr. p. 29 as fig. 24
  • Sarah E. Thompson, Kuniyoshi X Kunisada, exh. cat., MFA Publications (Boston, 2017), pp. 210-213, 258, repr. p. 213 as fig. 19
  • Hans den Hartog Jager, Zeng Fanzhi/Van Gogh, exh. cat., Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, 2017), pp. 8, 49, repr. p. 52 as fig. 28
  • Colleen Walsh, "A Different Side of Van Gogh", The Harvard Gazette (April 2, 2018), https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/04/van-goghs-snow-covered-field-visits-harvard/, accessed April 3, 2018
  • Simon Schama, "Blue as Can Be: A Color Archive's Treasures Reveal a History of Pigment", The New Yorker (September 3, 2018), pp. 28-32, p. 32
  • "Friendly Exchanges - Van Gogh and More", Index Magazine ([e-journal], May 30, 2018), https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/article/friendly-exchanges-van-gogh-and-more, accessed August 15, 2018
  • Nina Siegal, "'You Know, I Feel I'm in Japan'", The New York Times (March 27, 2018), p. C2, p. C2, repr.
  • Chris Uhlenbeck, Louis van Tilborgh, and Shigeru Oikawa, Japanese Prints: The Collection of Vincent van Gogh, Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, 2018), repr. p. 6
  • Louis van Tilborgh, Nienke Bakker, Cornelia Homburg, Tsukasa Kodera, and Chris Uhlenbeck, Van Gogh & Japan, exh. cat., Mercatorfonds and Van Gogh Museum (Brussels/Amsterdam, 2018), no. 76, pp. 59, 83, 123, 191, repr. p. 55
  • Cornelia Homburg and Christopher Riopelle, Gauguin: Portraits, exh. cat., National Gallery of Canada and National Gallery (Ottawa/London, 2019), p. 32, ill. 9
  • Alexander Eiling, Felix Krämer, and Elena Schroll, Making Van Gogh: A German Love Story, exh. cat., Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Stadtische Galerie (Frankfurt, 2019), pp. 278-279, repr. p. 279 no. 3
  • John Cauman, Van Gogh in 50 Works, Pavilion (London, 2019), p. 82, repr.
  • Martin Bailey, "The many faces of Van Gogh", Art Quarterly (Winter 2021), pp. 22-29, pp. 25, 27, repr. p. 27
  • Steven Naifeh, Van Gogh and the Artists He Loved, Random House (New York, 2021), pp. 295-296, repr. p. 296

Exhibition History

  • Wurttembergischer Kunstverein, [Unknown venue, Stuttgart], Stuttgart, 10/01/1924 - 11/30/1924
  • French Painting since 1870 lent by Maurice Wertheim, Class of 1906, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 06/01/1946 - 09/07/1946; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 07/01/1953 - 09/13/1953
  • Six Masters of Post-Impressionism, Wildenstein Gallery, New York, New York, 04/08/1948 - 05/08/1948
  • Van Gogh, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 01/01/1949 - 12/31/1950; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 01/01/1949 - 12/31/1950
  • Trends in European Painting: 1880-1930, Century Association, New York, 02/01/1949 - 02/28/1949
  • La Peinture Française depuis 1870, Musée de la Province de Quebec, 07/12/1949 - 08/07/1949
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 07/01/1952 - 09/14/1952
  • French Paintings Since 1870 from the Maurice Wertheim Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 06/01/1953 - 09/30/1953
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 06/15/1957 - 09/15/1957
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 06/10/1958 - 08/31/1958
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection: Modern French Art--Monet to Picasso, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, 06/17/1960 - 09/04/1960
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection: Manet to Picasso, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, 06/13/1962 - 09/02/1962
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection, Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, 06/24/1965 - 09/07/1965
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection, Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, 09/03/1968 - 09/22/1968
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection, Montgomery Museum of Art, Montgomery, 06/01/1971 - 09/30/1971
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection, Maine State Museum, Augusta, 06/01/1972 - 09/01/1972
  • Van Gogh at Arles, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 10/18/1984 - 12/30/1984
  • Manet to Matisse: The Maurice Wertheim Collection, IBM Gallery of Science and Art, New York, 04/09/1985 - 05/25/1985
  • The Maurice Wertheim Collection and Selected Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Paintings and Drawings in the Fogg Art Museum, Isetan Department Store, Tokyo, 03/01/1990 - 04/10/1990; Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum of Art, 04/14/1990 - 05/13/1990
  • Manet bis van Gogh: Hugo von Tschudi und der Kampf um die Moderne, Neue Pinakothek, Munich, 01/24/1997 - 05/11/1997
  • Vincent's Irises, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 01/19/1999 - 03/21/1999
  • Van Gogh Face to Face: The Portraits, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, 07/02/2000 - 09/24/2000
  • Vincent van Gogh and the Painters of the Petit Boulevard, Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, 02/17/2001 - 05/13/2001
  • Re-View: S427 Impressionist & Postimpressionist Art, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 08/02/2008 - 06/18/2011
  • 32Q: 1220 Wertheim, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 03/01/2018; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/11/2018 - 03/01/2025; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/11/2018 - 01/01/2050
  • Van Gogh & Japan, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 03/23/2018 - 06/24/2018

Subjects and Contexts

  • Collection Highlights
  • Iconic Works
  • Google Art Project

Related Articles

Related Works

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu