Portrait of Jo van Gogh-Bonger Writing
Johan Cohen Gosschalk (1873 - 1912), circa 1902
oil on panel, 46 cm x 54 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Cohen Gosschalk painted Jo van Gogh-Bonger absorbed in her writing. She may have chosen the red blouse especially for this portrait, as her husband once remarked, ‘You look so lovely in that red one; you should always wear it, it suits you so well.’
The sketch-like depiction in the upper right corner is Cypresses and Two Women (1890) by Vincent van Gogh. Jo had previously been married to Vincent’s brother, Theo, who sadly died after less than two years of marital bliss. She dedicated the rest of her life to preserving and promoting Vincent’s art and letters. Johan, whom she married in 1901, supported her wholeheartedly in this mission.
- Object number
- s0283V1963
- Dimensions
- 46 cm x 54 cm, 49 cm x 57 cm
- Provenance
- Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Bussum/Amsterdam/Laren; after her death on 2 September 1925, inherited by her son, Vincent Willem van Gogh, Laren; transferred by Vincent Willem van Gogh, Laren, to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation, Amsterdam, probably 1963 (ratified 1977); on permanent loan to the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, probably from 1977, and at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, since 1 July 1994.
- artist
- Johan Cohen Gosschalk
- Credits (obliged to state)
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Boreel, J., Crimpen, Han van, Johan Cohen Gosschalk 1873-1912, Assen ; Amsterdam, 1991, p. 37
