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New Van Gogh Painting Unveiled in Amsterdam Museum Identifies New Van Gogh Painting in Amsterdam
(35 minutes later)
AMSTERDAM — The Van Gogh Museum here announced today that it has identified a major new painting by Vincent Van Gogh. The work, entitled “Sunset at Montmajour,” was painted in Arles in 1888, a period that is considered to be the height of the painter’s career.AMSTERDAM — The Van Gogh Museum here announced today that it has identified a major new painting by Vincent Van Gogh. The work, entitled “Sunset at Montmajour,” was painted in Arles in 1888, a period that is considered to be the height of the painter’s career.
“For the first time in the history of the museum, that is in the past 40 years, a substantial capital new work of van Gogh has been discovered that was completely unknown in the literature,” said the museum’s director, Axel Rüger, in an interview. “He is one of the most famous artists in the world and we always think we’ve seen everything and we know everything, and now we’re able to add a significant new work to his oeuvre.” He added, “It is a work from the most important period of his life, when he created his substantial masterpieces, like ‘The Sunflowers,’ ‘The Yellow House’ and ‘The Bedroom.'” “For the first time in the history of the museum, that is in the past 40 years, a substantial capital new work of van Gogh has been discovered that was completely unknown in the literature,” said the museum’s director, Axel Rüger, in an interview. “We always think we’ve seen everything and we know everything, and now we’re able to add a significant new work to his oeuvre.” He added, “It is a work from the most important period of his life, when he created his substantial masterpieces, like ‘The Sunflowers,’ ‘The Yellow House’ and ‘The Bedroom.'”
The painting depicts dusk in the rocky landscape around Montmajour, a vineyard hill town in Provence, with the ruins of a Benedictine Abbey in the background, a subject that van Gogh explored many times during his time in Arles. The painting depicts dusk in the hilly landscape of Montmajour, in Provence, with wheat fields and the ruins of a Benedictine Abbey in the background. The area around Montmajour was a subject that van Gogh explored repeatedly during his time in Arles.
The painting has been in the private collection of a family for several years, but the museum would not release any more information about the owners because of privacy concerns, Mr. Rüger said. Two years ago, they brought it to the Van Gogh Museum to seek authentication, and researchers from the museum have been examining it ever since, said Mr. Rüger. The museum recently concluded that the work was a van Gogh because the painting’s pigments correspond with those of van Gogh’s palette from Arles. The painting has been in the private collection of a family for several years and Mr. Rüger said that because of privacy concerns, he couldn’t release any more information about the owners.
It was also painted on the same type of canvas, with the same type of underpainting he used for at least one other painting, “The Rocks” (owned by the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston) of the same area at the same time. The work was also listed as part of Theo van Gogh’s collection in 1890, and was sold in 1901. Until 1901, it was in the family collection owned by Vincent’s brother, Theo, said Marije Vellekoop, head of collections, research and presentation for the museum. It was exhibited in Paris and sold to a Paris art dealer, who then sold it to a Norwegian collector in 1908, she said. Shortly after that, Ms. Vellekoop added, “it was declared a fake, or not an original” and the Norwegian collector banished it to his attic, where it stayed until the current owners purchased it from him. Ms. Vellekoop declined to give any more information about the date of purchase or the owners.
“Sunset at Montmajour” is comparable in size to van Gogh’s “Sunflower” painting of the same year. The owners brought it to the museum once before in 1991, said Mr. Rüger, but at the time no one recognized it as a van Gogh. “This time, we have topographical information plus a number of other factors that have helped us to establish authenticity. Research is so much more advanced now, so we could come to a very different conclusion.” It was also painted on the same type of canvas, with the same type of underpainting he used for at least one other painting, “The Rocks” (owned by the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston) of the same area at the same time, according to the museum. The work was also listed as part of Theo van Gogh’s collection in 1890, and was sold in 1901.
“Sunset at Montmajour” is comparable in size to van Gogh’s “Sunflower” painting of the same year. Museum officials declined to speculate on the value of the work. “From this period, there are not so many paintings on the market – either of this size and of this stature, so it’s hard to say anything about that,” said Ms. Vellekoop. His “Sunflowers,” painted in the same year, sold for £25 million ($39.9 million) in 1987 at an auction at Christie’s London.
The owners brought it to the museum once before in 1991, said Mr. Rüger, but at the time no one recognized it as a van Gogh. “This time, we have topographical information plus a number of other factors that have helped us to establish authenticity. Research is so much more advanced now, so we could come to a very different conclusion.”
Van Gogh moved to Arles in February 1888 and spent time exploring the landscapes in Provence, and doing work “en plein air,” or in nature. He was particularly fascinated by the flat landscape around the hill of Montmajour with its rocky outcroppings and hay-colored fields and made several drawings of the ruins of the monastery, the olive trees and the rocks jutting out of the hills. In a letter dated July 1888, he said that he’d been to Montmajour at least 50 times “to see the view over the plain.”Van Gogh moved to Arles in February 1888 and spent time exploring the landscapes in Provence, and doing work “en plein air,” or in nature. He was particularly fascinated by the flat landscape around the hill of Montmajour with its rocky outcroppings and hay-colored fields and made several drawings of the ruins of the monastery, the olive trees and the rocks jutting out of the hills. In a letter dated July 1888, he said that he’d been to Montmajour at least 50 times “to see the view over the plain.”
Describing the area to his friend, fellow artist Emile Bernard, he wrote: “It’s an enormous stretch of flat country, a bird’s eye view of it seen from the top of a hill – vineyards and fields of newly reaped wheat. All this multiplied in endless repetition, stretching away towards the horizon like the surface of a sea, bordered by the little hills of the Crau.” Another known painting of the landscape is “Harvest at La Crau – with Montmajour in the Background,” also of 1888. Describing the area to his friend, fellow artist Émile Bernard, he wrote: “It’s an enormous stretch of flat country, a bird’s eye view of it seen from the top of a hill – vineyards and fields of newly reaped wheat. All this multiplied in endless repetition, stretching away towards the horizon like the surface of a sea, bordered by the little hills of the Crau.” Another known painting of the landscape is “Harvest at La Crau – with Montmajour in the Background,” also of 1888.
The newly discovered work will be on view in Amsterdam starting on Sept. 24, as part of the current exhibition, “Van Gogh at Work,” which focuses on other new discoveries about the painter’s artistic development. The painting will be on view in Amsterdam starting on Sept. 24, as part of the current exhibition, “Van Gogh at Work,” which focuses on other new discoveries about the painter’s artistic development.