Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Van Gogh Museum at 50: A brief history of Van Gogh and the art market

23/03/2023

Van Gogh Museum at 50: A brief history of Van Gogh and the art marketAmsterdam's Van Gogh Museum turns 50 in 2023. The museum attracts over two million visitors each year. Here's a brief history of Van Gogh

by The Conversation

23-03-2023 15:51

in Art and Artists

Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum turns 50 in 2023.

Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum turns 50 in 2023. The museum, dedicated to the art of one of the most famous artists in the world, attracts over two million visitors each year.

--

Yet, despite his fame today, Vincent van Gogh allegedly made only one documented sale of a painting during his lifetime. This was The Red Vineyard, produced near Arles in Provence in the autumn of 1888.

The enlightened buyer was Belgian painter Anna Boch, whose brother was a close friend of the artist. She spotted the vibrant landscape at the 1890 exhibition of the avant-garde group Les XX, of which she was a member.

ALSO READ: Record-breaking Vermeer show opens in Amsterdam

--

The price was 400 francs, the equivalent of around US$2000 (£1649) today, and would have seemed like a huge windfall to the struggling Van Gogh. If it were sold at auction today, the same painting could expect to fetch upwards of a hundred million US dollars.

Van Gogh dreamed of achieving posthumous fame and it was not long after he took his own life in July 1890 that the market for his pictures began to develop.

The Red Vineyard, the only painting Vincent van Gogh is certainly known to have sold during his lifetime. Pushkin Museum, Moscow Boch went on to buy a second painting, Peach Blossom in the Crau, in 1891. In the same year Vincent's art dealer brother Theo died of syphilis. Van Gogh had given a handful of works to the artists' colour merchant P re Tanguy in Paris, but it was Theo's widow, Jo van Gogh Bonger, who would inherit the bulk of his vast oeuvre, making her the main source of his paintings.

--

As a result, she controlled the market for Van Gogh in Paris, Berlin, London and, eventually, New York.

ALSO READ: Five things to know about Vermeer

EUROPE'S ART MARKET DISCOVERS VAN GOGH In 1901 the French poet Julien Leclercq, with Van Gogh Bonger's assistance, organised the first Van Gogh retrospective at the Bernheim-Jeune gallery in Paris. The event brought Van Gogh to the attention of the German dealer Paul Cassirer, who went on to create a market for Vincent's work in Berlin, supported by the influential art historian Julius Meier-Graefe.

By 1914 it was estimated that as many as 120 pictures by Van Gogh were in German collections and his work quickly increased in value.

Jo van Gogh-Bonger (1862-1925). Van Gogh Museum / Vincent van Gogh Foundation In Britain, meanwhile, the art dealer with the closest links to Van Gogh was Alexander Reid. In 1887 Reid worked alongside Theo at the firm of Boussod & Valadon in Paris and briefly shared an apartment with both Van Gogh brothers.

However, despite his close physical resemblance to the artist (two portraits of Reid by Van Gogh, now in Glasgow and Oklahoma, were originally catalogued as self-portraits), it was not until the early 1920s that he began to exhibit and sell his pictures to rich industrialists in Glasgow and London. Among the most significant was the Scottish collector Elizabeth Workman, the wife of a successful ship owner.

The most important early collector of Van Gogh's work was another enlightened woman, Helene Kr ller-M ller, who - although German by birth - was based in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Advised by the Dutch painter and critic Henk Bremmer, she bought her first work by Van Gogh in 1908. Supported by her industrialist husband Anton (who was initially sceptical of her new-found passion), she went on to acquire no fewer than 91 paintings and over 180 works on paper.

Along with Cassirer, Bremmer helped to push up the price of Van Gogh's work. As a result, fakes began to appear in various galleries and exhibitions. The most famous forgery case was that of the dancer-turned-art dealer Otto Wacker, who was brought to trial in Berlin in 1932.

ALSO READ: Vermeer shines at once in history' Amsterdam show

VAN GOGH'S ART MARKET GOES GLOBAL As the market for Van Gogh's pictures increased, the importance of establishing the authorship of a painting or drawing became even more crucial.

In the 1980s, with the advent of the Japanese craze for Van Gogh, his work began to fetch world records at auction. In 1987 there was huge public debate around the authenticity of the Sunflowers acquired by the Yasuda Marine Insurance company in 1987 for US$39.9 million.

Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat by Vincent van Gogh (1887). Van Gogh Museum / Vincent van Gogh Foundation Three years later the Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito paid the record price of US$82.5 million for the Portrait of Doctor Gachet. Most recently this record was smashed in November 2022, when a Van Gogh landscape of Arles from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's collection sold for US$117 million to an anonymous bidder.

Today the Van Gogh Museum has the last word when it comes to authenticating the artist's work. The Yasuda Sunflowers are now believed to be authentic, based on the picture's provenance, which can be traced back to Jo van Gogh Bonger.

ALSO READ: Banksy unveils new Valentine's Day Mascara' artwork

A more recent discovery of a portfolio of Van Gogh drawings in 2016, however, has not yet been accepted as genuine. But what is it about Van Gogh's work that remains so compelling to prospective buyers, over 130 years after his death?

Today, as we are encouraged to focus on mental health, his work seems to have more relevance than ever. Whatever the reason, and despite the scorn that he endured during his lifetime, the market continues to be seduced - like Boch all those years ago - not only b
LINK: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/culture/art-artists/van-gogh-museum-at...
See more stories from thesouthafrican

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

25/08/2026

Open, Sustainable, Predictable: What Utah Scientific Is Bringing to IBC 2026

Open, Sustainable, Predictable: What Utah Scientific Is Bringing to IBC 2026 As broadcast leaders prepare to gather at the RAI Amsterdam for IBC 2026, the main ...

25/08/2026

The Big Shift: Inside NC State's Phased Move From SDI to SMPTE ST 2110

NC State's Matthew Byrd breaks down how an IP-based infrastructure is delivering greater flexibility and scalability for Wolfpack productions...

25/08/2026

Monumental Sports Network Adds DAZN as Distribution Partner for Monumental+ in the DMV

Deal expands the DTC reach in-market of Capitals, Wizards, Mystics games and oth...

25/08/2026

Jacksonville Jaguars Carlos Caceres on Producing Shows at an Ever-Evolving EverBank Stadium

The two-year renovation period will create a stadium of the future for the NFL f...

25/08/2026

Behind The Mic: Genie Bouchard Joins ESPN for 2026 US Open; NBC Sports Names College Football Announce Hosts

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...

25/08/2026

LD Systems Installs L-Acoustics A Series at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston

Shell Energy Stadium in Houston has installed a new L-Acoustics A Series loudspeaker system, designed and installed by LD Systems, a Clair Global brand. The 20,...

25/08/2026

FloCollege Expands Distribution and Adds Features for 2026-27 Season

FloCollege is expanding its distribution and product offerings for the 2026-27 season, covering more than 20 NCAA partner conferences across Division I, II, and...

25/08/2026

TNA Wrestling and REVOLT Announce Content Partnership

TNA Wrestling and REVOLT have announced a content partnership bringing exclusive TNA Xplosion matches and content from TNA's library to REVOLT. Our indust...

25/08/2026

Gracenote: FAST Sports Programming Growth Outpaces Channel Growth

Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its Q3 2026 Data Hub analysis showing that FAST sports programming is growing at more than ...

25/08/2026

Amagi Appoints Thomas dHrouville Head of Sales for France, Benelux, and Nordics

Amagi has appointed Thomas d'H rouville as Head of Sales for France, Benelux, and Nordics. Based in Paris, he will lead Amagi's growth strategy across t...

25/08/2026

IPC Appoints CCATech as Channel Partner in Brazil

IPC has appointed CCATech as its channel partner in Brazil, expanding the company's presence in Latin America. CCATech was founded in 2023 by Carlos Abrah o...

25/08/2026

FanConnect Introduces FC4 Multi-Output Media Player

FanConnect has announced the FC4, a multi-output media player designed to drive mid-sized video walls, multi-screen concession stands, and multi-display digital...

25/08/2026

JWX Launches JWX Content Hub for Publisher Video Distribution and Monetization

JWX has launched JWX Content Hub, a platform for publisher video that combines content transformation, social distribution, audience engagement, and monetizatio...

25/08/2026

Techex Appoints Stuart Almond as Chief Revenue Officer

Techex has appointed Stuart Almond as Chief Revenue Officer. Almond brings more than 25 years of experience across technology, media, and telecommunications, ha...

25/08/2026

IBC 2026: Grass Valley to Showcase Unified SDI, IP, and Software Infrastructure

Grass Valley will demonstrate infrastructure connecting SDI, SMPTE ST 2110, MXL, and software-based processing at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01, RAI Amsterdam, September...

25/08/2026

Taking Control: How Professional Sports Teams Are Building Their In-Market Future as the RSN Model Fractures

Franchises are taking greater ownership of production, distribution, and the fan...

25/08/2026

The PRO Tour Takes Golf Broadcasts Wireless With BMG's REMI-Driven Production Model

The first-year circuit for former professional athletes leans on LiveU, Starlink...

25/08/2026

UNIVERSAL FILM AND FOCUS FEATURES RENEW EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH SUNDANCE INSTITUTE TO SUPPORT RISING FILMMAKERS

Announcing the 2026 Sundance Institute Breakthrough | Focus Features Fellows L...

25/08/2026

Soundgas third John Paul Jones auction now live

Auction Part 3 running until 9 September 2026 Soundgas have announced that the latest stage of their John Paul Jones Gear Auction is now live, and that bids...

25/08/2026

MONO Music Conference programme announced

Over 60 award-winning artists, songwriters, producers, engineers The MONO Music Conference (formerly Music Expo SF), San Francisco's premier event for m...

25/08/2026

Groove Synthesis update the 3rd Wave

All three versions receive firmware upgrade Groove Synthesis have just launched a free firmware update that kits the 3rd Wave out with two major new feature...

25/08/2026

Clear-Com FreeSpeak Cell Field Trial Demonstrates Cellular Intercom Capabilities...

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

25/08/2026

BMG Taps LiveU For REMI Coverage of Golf's Pro Tour

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

Rate of Subscription Fee Hikes Drops for Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

Law&Crime Reconvenes Court TV on Amagi CLOUDPORT

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

Akta Tech To Showcase AI-First Video Platform At IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

Major Live Sports Events Bolster Broadcast Viewing in Q2 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

Lingopal debuts real-time AI translation advances for mul...

Lingopal, the AI-powered live translation and localization specialist, is unveiling new platform capabilities at IBC2026 (11 14 September, RAI Amsterdam), helpi...

25/08/2026

TV5MONDE combines AI and editorial expertise with Bminty...

Bminty is supporting TV5MONDE in the evolution of its editorial processes through a new AI-assisted press information generation solution. Combining the Louise ...

25/08/2026

Two Cultures. Millions Reached. One Berklee Connection.

Two Cultures. Millions Reached. One Berklee Connection. Meet Annie Dickinson and Zhengxi Zhang-the couple who turned their creative partnership into music car...

25/08/2026

Law and Crime Moves Court TV to Amagi CLOUDPORT for Unifi...

Amagi, the media industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced that Law&Crime has migrated its Court TV channel, s...

25/08/2026

Broadcast Solutions demonstrates world-class technology a...

Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast and media industry, is showcasing the breadth of its ca...

25/08/2026

Leader boosts Test and Measurement capabilities for Denma...

Thatcham, UK 25 August 2026: Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, has announced that leading broadcast rental company Minitech has purchased a Le...

25/08/2026

Appear and TVTEL power centralised VAR signal transport i...

Appear's X20 Platform enables visually lossless video contribution with sub-frame latency and full path redundancy for TVTEL's centralised VAR operation...

25/08/2026

Big Blue Marble to showcase next-generation 5G Broadcast...

World-first demonstration combines 5G Broadcast and Media over QUIC for seamless, ultra-low-latency hybrid media delivery Big Blue Marble will showcase new dev...

25/08/2026

MNC Software Unveils Unified Software Suite at IBC2026 to...

MNC Software, a global leader in network management and operational support systems tailored to the broadcast and media industry, will showcase its complete sof...

25/08/2026

VAB: Ads in Local News Boost Sales and Brand Perception

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

ESPN to Bump Up Streaming Subscription Prices

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

HPA Opens Call for Award Entries

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

CNN Returns to Air After Technical Difficulties

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

Calrec to Showcase DMF Capabilities at IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

Imagine Communications to Showcase AI and MCP Strategy at...

Company to Demonstrate Practical AI Applications That Add Value Today and Longer-Term Path Toward Agentic AI At IBC2026 (Sept. 11 14, RAI Amsterdam, Stand #1.B...

25/08/2026

KRK Kreate Series Standardizes Monitoring at Miamis WDNA...

Serving South Florida with a unique blend of jazz, Latin jazz, salsa, reggae, blues, and culturally reflective programming, WDNA 88.9FM operates as both a tradi...

25/08/2026

GlobalM Brings GMX Broadcast Platform to Oracle Cloud Inf...

GlobalM announced that it is integrating its GMX software-defined media platform with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), bringing together Oracle's global c...

25/08/2026

Anthony Boyle leads cast of thrilling new Sky Original Charmer

Siena Kelly, Connor Swindells and Sophie Wilde join Boyle in the eight-part series from Working Title Television and Story Films, directed by Emmy and BAFTA nom...

25/08/2026

Ella Purnell makes a killer comeback in Sweetpea Season 2: Teaser Trailer Revealed for Sky and STARZ Original

The critically acclaimed thriller will return to Sky in NovemberTuesday 25 Augus...

25/08/2026

Scottish Rugby Expands Managed Coach Communications Partnership With Riedel

Wuppertal August 25, 2026 Scottish Rugby Expands Managed Coach Communications Partnership With RiedelRiedel Communications today announced the continued expan...