List of Works

What impassions me most--much, much more than all the rest of my métier--is the portrait, the modern portrait. I seek it in colour, and surely I am not the only one to seek it in this direction. I should like--mind you, far be it from me to say that I shall be able to do it, although this is what I am aiming at--I should like to paint portraits which would appear after a century to people living then as apparitions. Vincent van Gogh Letter W22 5 June 1890

Vincent van Gogh is often perceived today as a solitary, unsociable eccentric. In truth, Van Gogh could be extremely outgoing and compassionate--at his most happy when in the company of others. This is one of the reasons why he enjoyed portraiture so much. Not only did it provide him with much needed human interaction, but Van Gogh also viewed the portrait as playing and important, and long lasting, role in society itself. Van Gogh disliked photography and wrote in 1889:

Those photographic portraits wither much sooner than we ourselves do, whereas the painted portrait is a thing which is felt, done with love or respect for the human being that is portrayed. What is left of the old Dutchmen except their portraits?

The "Van Gogh: Face to Face" exhibit is a unique opportunity to see some extraordinary artworks. Van Gogh's entire career is represented--from his earliest studies of peasant workers through to his final paintings in Auvers-sur-Oise. The works in this exhibit appear from museums and collections throughout the world and afford the viewer a exciting chance to see the people in Van Gogh's life as he saw them. In addition, Van Gogh's beautiful drawings are rarely on display because of their fragility--another of the many reasons that this exhibit is not to be missed.

The Detroit Institute of Arts' premier of the first exhibition of portraits by Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) features 67 works of art, 36 of which are paintings and 31 are drawings. Many of the rarely seen drawings are beautifully detailed, and some have never before been on public view. Over 30 international museums and private collections are lending to this major exhibition.

The exhibition's U.S.A. tour features over 100 loans. A number of the portraits will vary as the exhibition's three-city tour subsequently travels to Boston and Philadelphia. Many of the drawings are only on view in one or two venues, because of conservation interests and the need to restrict their exposure to light.

Note: Special thanks to the Detroit Institute of Arts for providing the list of works included in the exhibit.

Paintings

Painting Name	Origin	Current Location	F	JH	Thumbnail
Baby Marcelle Roulin, The	Arles, December, 1888	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	441	1641
Girl with Ruffled Hair ("The Mudlark")	Arles: June, 1888	La-Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland), Musée des Beaux-Arts	535	1467
Gordina de Groot, Head	Nuenen: April, 1885	Edinburgh, National Gallery of Scotland	140	745
Head of a Peasant with Cap	Nuenen: December, 1884	Sydney, Art Gallery of New South Wales	160a	563
Head of a Peasant Woman with Red Cap	Nuenen: April, 1885	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	160	722
Head of a Young Peasant in a Peaked Cap	Nuenen: March, 1885	Brussels, Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België	163	687
Italian Woman (Agostina Segatori?)	Paris: December, 1887	Paris, Musée d'Orsay	381	1355
La Berceuse (Augustine Roulin)	Arles: February, 1889	Boston, Museum of Fine Arts	508	1671
L'Arlesienne: Madame Ginoux with Gloves and Umbrella	Arles: early November, 1888	Paris, Musée d'Orsay	489	1625
Mother Roulin with Her Baby	Arles: November-December, 1888	Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art	490	1637
Mother Roulin with Her Baby	Arles: November-December, 1888	New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art	491	1638
Portrait of Adeline Ravoux	Auvers-sur-Oise: June, 1890	Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art	786	2036
Portrait of a Man	Paris: Winter, 1886/7	Melbourne, National Gallery of Victoria	209	1201
Portrait of a Man	Arles: December, 1888	Otterlo, Kröller-Müller Museum	533	1649
Portrait of a Man with a Skull Cap	Paris: Winter, 1886/7 (or 1887/88?)	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	289	1203
Portrait of a One-Eyed Man	Arles: December, 1888	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	532	1650
Portrait of Armand Roulin	Arles: November-December, 1888	Essen, Museum Folkwang	492	1642
Portrait of Armand Roulin	Arles: November-December, 1888	Rotterdam, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen	493	1643
Portrait of a Young Peasant	Saint-Rémy: September, 1889	Rome, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna	531	1779
Portrait of Camille Roulin	Arles: November-December, 1888	Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art	537	1644
Portrait of Camille Roulin	Arles: November-December, 1888	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	538	1645
Portrait of the Art Dealer Alexander Reid	Paris: Spring, 1887	Glasgow, Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum	343	1250
Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin	Arles: early August, 1888	Boston, Museum of Fine Arts	432	1522
Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin	Arles: early August, 1888	Detroit, Detroit Institute of Arts	433	1524
Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin	Arles: November-December, 1888	Winterthur, Kunstmuseum Winterthur	434	1647
Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin	Arles: April, 1889	New York, Museum of Modern Art	436	1675
Self-Portrait	Paris: Spring, 1887	Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago	345	1249
Self-Portrait	Paris: Spring-Summer, 1887	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	356	1248
Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat	Paris: Winter, 1886/7	Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum	295	1211
Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat	Paris: Winter, 1887/8	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	344	1353
Self-Portrait with Straw Hat	Paris: Summer, 1887	Detroit, Detroit Institute of Arts	526	1309
Skull	Paris: Winter, 1887/8	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	297a	1347
Two Children	Auvers-sur-Oise: June, 1890	Private collection	784	2052
Weaver Facing Left with Spinning Wheel	Nuenen: March, 1884	Boston, Museum of Fine Arts	29	471
Woman Sitting by a Cradle	Paris: Spring, 1887	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	369	1206
Zouave (Half Length), The	Arles, June, 1888	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	423	1486

Drawings

Painting Name	Origin	Current Location	F	JH	Thumbnail
Bent Figure of a Woman (Sien?)	The Hague: early May, 1882	Otterlo, Kröller-Müller Museum	935	143
Bookseller Blok, The	The Hague: early November, 1882	The Netherlands, private collection	993	254
Daughter of Jacob Meyer, The (after Holbein)	Etten: July, 1881	Otterlo, Kröller-Müller Museum	833	13
Figure of a Woman with Unfinished Chair	The Hague: early May, 1882	Otterlo, Kröller-Müller Museum	932	145
Fisherman with Sou'wester, Head	The Hague: February, 1883	Otterlo, Kröller-Müller Museum	1011	309
Fisherman with Sou'wester, Head	The Hague: February, 1883	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	1014	310
Girl with Shawl, Half-Figure	The Hague: first half January, 1883	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	1008	301
Head of a Girl	Arles: c. 17 June 1888	New York, Guggenheim Museum	1507a	1466
Joseph Roulin, Sitting in a Cane Chair, Three-Quarter-Length	Arles: 31 July-3 August, 1888	New York, private collection	1723	1523
La Mousmé, Sitting	Arles: c. 23 July 1888	Moscow, Pushkin Museum	1504	1520
Man, Sitting, Reading a Book	The Hague: December, 1882	Otterlo, Kröller-Müller Museum	1001	278
Man with Beard, Sitting	Antwerp, February, 1886?	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	1369v	1018
Orphan Man in Sunday Clothes with Eye Bandage, Head	The Hague: late December, 1882	Cambridge (Mass.), Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University	1003	285
Orphan Man with Long Overcoat and Stick	The Hague: September, 1882	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	962	212
Orphan Man with Top Hat, Head	The Hague: December, 1882	Heino, Hannema-de Stuers Foundation	961	284
Orphan Man with Top Hat, Drinking Coffee	The Hague: second half November, 1882	Otterlo, Kröller-Müller Museum	976	265
Orphan Man with Top Hat, Head	The Hague: late December, 1882	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	985	286
Peasant Woman, Head	Nuenen: December-January, 1884-85	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	1184	597
Peasant Woman, Head	Nuenen: January-February, 1885	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	1170	630
Peasant Woman, Three-Quarter Length	Nuenen: March, 1885	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	1224	678
Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin	Arles: August, 1888	Brentwood (Cal.), Getty Center	1458	1536
Portrait of Vincent van Gogh, the Artist's Grandfather	Etten: July, 1881	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	876	14
Sien with White Cap, Head	The Hague: late December, 1882	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	1055	290
Sien with White Cap, Head	The Hague: December, 1882	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	931	291
Weaver Facing Right (Half-Figure)	Nuenen: January-February, 1884	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	1122	454
Woman, Bareheaded (Sien's Mother?), Head	The Hague: March, 1883	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	1009	335
Woman with Dark Cap (Sien's Mother?)	The Hague: December, 1882	Groningen, Groninger Museum	1057	294
Woman with Dark Cap (Sien's Mother?)	The Hague: December, 1882	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	1006	295
Woman with Hat, Head	The Hague: December, 1882	Bern, Kunsmuseum	1054	293
Young Peasant, Head	Nuenen: December-January, 1884-85	Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum	1145	581
Zouave, Half-Figure	Arles: 31 July-6 August, 1888	New York, Guggenheim Museum	1482a	1535

For other insights on Van Gogh's feelings about portraiture, please refer to the following letters:

• 548
• 569a
• W1
• W14
• W20
• W22
• B13

Return to Van Gogh exhibits page

Return to main Van Gogh Gallery page