Head of a Woman
Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Nuenen, November 1884-January 1885
oil on canvas, 42.0 cm x 33.3 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Van Gogh hoped one day to become a figure painter. So he was constantly drawing and painting studies of heads. He made portraits of countless men and women who worked on farms around Nuenen (NL). To him, these were not portraits of individuals but depictions of types. In his eyes, they represented the hard life of farm workers.
Above this woman's left eye (on the right of the painting) is a black dot: her pupil. This bit of paint shifted after the painting was done and ended up on her eyelid.
- F-number
- F0156
- JH-number
- JH0569
- Object number
- s0072V1962
- Dimensions
- 42.0 cm x 33.3 cm, 58.5 cm x 50 cm
- Provenance
- With his brother Theo van Gogh, Paris, after January 1885; after his death on 25 January 1891, inherited by his widow, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, and their son, Vincent Willem van Gogh, Paris; administered until her death on 2 September 1925 by Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Bussum/Amsterdam/Laren; transferred by Vincent Willem van Gogh, Laren, to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation, Amsterdam, 10 July 1962; agreement concluded between the Vincent van Gogh Foundation and the State of the Netherlands, in which the preservation and management of the collection, and its placing in the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, to be realized in Amsterdam, is entrusted to the State, 21 July 1962; given on loan until the opening of the museum on 2 June 1973 to the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; on permanent loan to the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh from 2 June 1973 and at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, since 1 July 1994.
- artist
- Vincent van Gogh
- Credits (obliged to state)
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, De Aardappeleters: misser of meesterwerk?, 8 October 2021-13 February 2022
s Hertogenbosch, Noordbrabants Museum, Rondom de pastorie, 10 October-20 December 2015
Den Bosch, Noordbrabants Museum, Het verhaal van Brabant, 18 January 2014-18 January 2016
Budapest, Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, Van Gogh Budapesten, 1 December 2006-1 April 2007, no. 27
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Van Gogh te gast in het Rijksmuseum. Meesterwerken van het Van Gogh Museum, 19 September 1998-2 May 1999
London, Hayward Gallery, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings of the Vincent van Gogh Foundation Amsterdam, 23 October 1968-12 January 1969, no. 29
Wolfsburg, Stadthalle Wolfsburg, Vincent van Gogh. Gemälde, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen, 18 February-2 April 1967, no. 8
Toronto, The Art Gallery of Toronto, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings-Drawings / Tableaux-Dessins, 10 February-12 March 1961, no. 15
Winnipeg, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings-Drawings / Tableaux-Dessins, 29 December 1960-31 January 1961, no. 15
Ottawa, National Gallery of Canada, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings-Drawings / Tableaux-Dessins, 17 November-18 December 1960, no. 15
Montréal, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings-Drawings / Tableaux-Dessins, 6 October-6 November 1960, no. 15
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Vincent van Gogh, 24 June-September 1955, no. 23
Antwerp, Zaal Comité voor Artistieke Werking, Vincent van Gogh, 7 May-19 June 1955, no. 50
Assen, Provinciehuis, Vincent van Gogh in Assen, 7-29 November 1953, no. 8
IJmuiden, Hoogovens, restaurant Walserij Oost, Vincent van Gogh. Exposition in the canteens of the Royal Netherlands Blast Furnaces and Steelworks, 2-12 October 1953, no. 8
Hoensbroek, Kasteel Hoensbroek, Vincent van Gogh, 23 May-27 July 1953, no. 14
Zundert, Parochiehuis, Vincent van Gogh in Zundert, 30 March-20 April 1953, no. 9
Middelburg, Kunstmuseum Middelburg, Van Gogh-tentoonstelling, 9 April-1 May 1949, no. 7
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Vincent van Gogh. Collectie ir. V.W. van Gogh, 12 October 1948-10 January 1949, no. 16
Vanbeselaere, Walther, Vermeylen, August, De hollandsche periode (1880-1885) in het werk van Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), 1937, p. 292, 341, 343, 415
Hulsker, Jan, The new complete Van Gogh : paintings, drawings, sketches, 1996, p. 130-131, 142
Uitert, Evert van, Hoyle, Michael, Crimpen, Han van, The Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, 1987, p. 317
Paternotte-Limburg, Yvonne, Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh Amsterdam : guide to the collection of paintings, 1979, [unpaged]
Hendriks, Ella, Geldof, Muriel, Van Gogh's Antwerp and Paris picture supports (1885-1888) reconstructing choices, p. 74
Vellekoop, Marije, Hendriks, Ella, Jansen, Leo, Meedendorp, Teio, Bakker, Nienke, Dijk, Maite van, Van Gogh's studio practice, 2013, p. 228, 320
Geskó, Judit, Van Gogh in Budapest, 2006, p. 270-272, 310, 528-529
Leeuw, Ronald de, Van Gogh Museum : schilderijen en pastels, 1993, p. 64-67
Faille, Jacob Baart de la, Montagu-Pollock, P., Terrasse, Charles, Vincent van Gogh, 1939, p. 122
Faille, Jacob Baart de la, Vincent van Gogh : Gemälde, 1928, vol. 1, p. 50-51, vol. 2, pl. XL
Brouwer, Ton de, Vincent van Gogh in Nuenen 1883-1885, 1976, [unpaged]
Tilborgh, Louis van, Vellekoop, Marije, Vincent van Gogh paintings : Volume I : Dutch period 1881-1885 : Van Gogh Museum, 1999, p. 84-105
Tilborgh, Louis van, Vellekoop, Marije, Vincent van Gogh schilderijen : Nederlandse periode, 1881-1885 : Van Gogh Museum : 1, 1999, p. 84-105
Faille, Jacob Baart de la, Gelder, Jan Gerrit van, Hammacher, A.M., The works of Vincent van Gogh : his paintings and drawings, 1970, p. 92, 95, 617
Gerritse, Bregje, De aardappeleters : Van Goghs eerste meesterwerk, 2021, p. 61
Gerritse, Bregje, The potato eaters : Van Gogh's first masterpiece, 2021, p. 61
