The Portrait of Dr. Gachet
Vincent Van Gogh
1890
Oil on Canvas
I've done the portrait of M. Gachet with a melancholy expression, which might
well seem like a grimace to those who see it. . . . Sad but gentle, yet clear
and intelligent, that is how many portraits ought to be done. . . . There are
modern heads that may be looked at for a long time, and that may perhaps be
looked back on with longing a hundred years later. VINCENT VAN GOGH, JUNE
1890
Ryoei Saito, a Japanese businessman purchased the Van Gogh in 1990 for $82.5 Million. He casually remarked he wanted the painting to be put in his coffin and cremated
with him when he died. He retracted the comment when it caused an international
uproar, saying it was only a joke for the tax authorities, but few people
thought it was funny. He had already locked the painting away from the
public in a warehouse like the fabled ark in the movie "Raiders of the Lost
Ark,", invisible to those who might appreciate its power. Although he made a
vague commitment to put it on show 'in about 10 years' time'. Saito suffered some financial troubles and may have sold it before he died in
1996. And it unclear who the current owner is, but representatives of Saito's
company assured the world that it is still around.
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