MUSEYON BOOKS Smart City Guides for Travel, History, Art and Film Lovers
Left: Vincent van Gogh, Right: Theo van Gogh
Is apparently no longer the question as the Van Gogh Museum’s head researcher Louis van Tilborgh recently discovered.
A question often posed by art historians is: why are there no portraits of van Gogh’s younger brother Theo when the two were so close? After years of careful examination, van Tilborgh has come-up with an answer. There IS a portrait of Theo, the world just thought it was Vincent. A painting assumed to be a self- portrait of the artist is now confirmed to be Theo after the features were compared closely with other undeniable self-portraits as well as photographs of Theo. The difference in the two brothers can be seen in their ear and beard shape, Theo’s beard is also a lighter shade than the shocking red of Vincent’s.
It is thought this 1887 portrait was painted when the pair lived together in Paris. The painting is now on display at the Van Gogh Museum as a part of an exhibition on new findings about time the painter spent in Antwerp and Paris during 1885-1888.
Van Gogh Museum
Paulus Potterstraat 7, 1071 CX Amsterdam, Netherlands – 020 5705200
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