Newly Authenticated Van Gogh Unveiled

Vincent van Gogh's "Le Blute-Fin Windmill" (1886)

[Credit: Fundatie Museum]

AMSTERDAM — The year was 1995 the last time a painting was formerly attributed to Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890). But experts conducting a study at the Van Gogh Museum recently concluded "beyond any doubt" that the 1886 painting Le Blute-Fin Windmill is an authentic work by the Dutch Post-Impressionist.

"The painting is a little a-typical for Van Gogh because of the many people appearing on it but also very typical because of the prominent role for the mill," said Ralph Keuning, director of the Fundatie Museum.

Dirk Hannema, the founder of the small Fundatie Museum in the Dutch city of Zwolle, bought the painting 35 years ago. Though experienced as an art collector, Hannema had a history of wrongly attributing other paintings to Dutch Baroque painter Johannes Vermeer so his theories on the possible van Gogh were quickly dismissed. After Hannema died in 1984 the painting disappeared into the museum's archives only to resurface in 2007.

Since the 1970 publication of the artist's catalogue raisonné, The Works of Vincent van Gogh, only five paintings have been added to his oeuvre of approximately 900 works.

Le Blute-Fin Windmill is on view at the Fundatie Museum through July 4.
______

[Source: NRC]

Newly Authenticated Van Gogh Unveiled

Have You Heard the New One About Van Gogh's Ear?

Vincent van Gogh's "Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear" (1889).

Detail from Vincent Van Gogh's "Still Life with a Plate of Onions" (1889) showing a letter dated December 1888, written by the artist's brother Theo; a new theory speculates it was the impetus for Vincent's self-dismemberment.

LONDON — For decades, art scholars have speculated as to why tortured genius Vincent van Gogh sliced off his own earlobe. Some experts attribute the incident to the Impressionist artist's having been poisoned by the lead in his paints, others have blamed it on a dispute with fellow artist Paul Gauguin over a prostitute, and still others believe he was just plain insane. The latest theory is that the artist's brother Theo pushed him over the edge, causing the already mentally disturbed individual to lop off his own ear.

The new explanation, proposed by author and curator Martin Bailey, was formulated after his methodical examination of Vincent van Gogh's painting Still Life with a Plate of Onions (1889). Bailey believes that a detail in the artwork, specifically a letter dated December 1888, is a clue deliberately included by the artist because of its significance in relation to the incident.

The still life painting was completed just a month after the ear injury. The letter was sent from Vincent's brother and art dealer Theo to announce his engagement to his girlfriend Johanna Bonger. Vincent depended upon Theo for emotional and financial support. The upcoming nuptials would have so disturbed the artist, says Bailey, that his brother's news could have easily led to an act of self-mutilation.

In another letter, Theo wrote to his fiancée: “When I mentioned you to [Vincent] he evidently knew who and what I meant and, when I asked whether he approved of our plans, he said marriage ought not to be regarded as the main object in life.” 

An exhibition at London's Royal Academy next month will feature the still life and center around Van Gogh's remarkable correspondence.

The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters January 23, 2010 - April 18, 2010 at the Royal Academy (London)

Have You Heard the New One About Van Gogh's Ear?

Police Seize Stash of Masterpieces Hidden by Disgraced Parma Dairy Owner

ROME —  The Italian police have recovered 19 masterpieces hidden in attics and basements of three apartments in the city of Parma. Valued at more than $149 million, the art stash belonged to Calisto Tanzi, the disgraced founder of the recently-collapsed dairy company, Parmalat Finanziaria SpA.

With the help of Tanzi’s relatives, the former billionaire was able to hide away an impressive trove of paintings by some of the world's most famous artists. On Saturday, police seized a pencil on paper portrait of a ballerina by Degas, two van Goghs, including a depiction of a trunk of a willow tree and a still life, a watercolor by Cezanne and a pencil-work by Modigliani. There was also a self-portrait by Italian rock star Ligabue and other masterpieces by Picasso, Monet and Manet.

Tanzi, who is currently on trial for fraud linked to Italy’s biggest bankruptcy, had previously lied to authorities by telling them he had no other assets. Police said that Tanzi was preparing to sell at least one painting. “We had some suspicions about a few individuals,” said Gerardo Laguardia, the Parma chief prosecutor. “We were able to tap their phones. We were lucky. We realized that there were negotiations to sell one of the paintings, the Monet.”

===============================================================

Read More - Italy Police Seize Secret Stash of Masterpieces | AP

[Photo: Italian tax police officers hold a Giuseppe De Nittis painting, one of 19 masterpieces seized in Parma on Dec. 5, 2009. Courtesy AP Photo/Marco Vasini ]

Police Seize Stash of Masterpieces Hidden by Disgraced Parma Dairy Owner

The Ten Most Popular Oil Paintings of 2009

WICHITA, KS — Quick! Think of an artist, any artist. Who did you think of? Pablo Picasso? Vincent van Gogh? Claude Monet? Many of you probably did. So it's not too surprising, then, that those three artists, along with Gustav Klimt, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Georgia O'Keefe and Wassily Kandinsky, were all listed in Overstock Art's Top 10 Oil Paintings rankings for 2009.

Each year, the online art gallery Overstock Art releases their Top 10 Oil Paintings list due to popular demand. “A lot of people want to know what’s selling best because it helps them stay up to speed with the latest trends and allows them to know which paintings are the hippest and most desirable on the market,” said overstockART.com CEO David Sasson. “In the business world especially, where image is everything, many companies strive to keep up with the latest interior décor trends to maintain a modern appeal that will impress customers and clients."

So which painting was most in demand this year? Of the 45,000 oil paintings (reproductions) sold by overstockArt.com in 2009, the most popular was...drumroll please...Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night. The popular painting reclaimed its title a year after Gustav Klimt's The Kiss snatched the title away. "Van Gogh consistently remains the most popular artist in the world, his total sales numbers have left everyone well behind," said Sasson.

The Top 10 Oil Paintings of 2009 according to Overstock Art are:

1) Vincent van Gogh "Starry Night"

2) Vincent van Gogh "Café Terrace at Night"

3) Gustav Klimt "The Kiss"

4) Claude Monet "Poppy Field at Argenteuil"

5) Pierre Auguste Renoir "Luncheon of the Boating Party"

6) Claude Monet "Garden Path at Giverny"

7) Pablo Picasso "The Rest"

8) Georgia O’Keeffe "Red Cannas"

9) Wassily Kandinsky "Farbstudie Quadrate (Color Study of Squares)"


10) Pablo Picasso "The Dream"

=============================

The Ten Most Popular Oil Paintings of 2009

Van Gogh Letters Exhibit a Method Behind the Madness

"There are so many people, especially  among our pals, who imagine that words are nothing. On the contrary, don’t you think, it’s as interesting and as difficult to say a thing well as to paint a thing."

~Vincent van Gogh to Emile Bernard (April 19, 1888)

The Dutch Post-Impressionist painter, Vincent van Gogh, was largely unknown during his lifetime but is well-regarded today as one of history's greatest painters and contributors to the foundations of modern art. As famous for works like The Starry Night, as for his suffering from mental illness (i.e. that legendary ear-cutting incident), a new exhibition of the artist's letters demonstrates the method behind the madness.

AMSTERDAM /Van Gogh Museum/ -- Vincent van Gogh's letters take center stage in the exhibition Van Gogh's letters: The artist speaks. More than 120 original letters are on show alongside the works that Van Gogh was writing about. These important documents have seldom or never been shown to the public due to their extreme fragility and sensitivity to light.

The combination of more than 300 works from the museum's own rich collection, including paintings, drawings, letters and letter sketches, offers a penetrating and comprehensive insight into Van Gogh as letter writer and as artist.

Van Gogh's correspondence has a special bearing on his art because of the sketches of his own work that he included in his letters. These sketches served no artistic purpose but were made with the sole intention of showing Theo and his other correspondents what the paintings or drawings he was working on or had completed actually looked like. Visitors are able to view a large number of letter sketches and enjoy the unique opportunity of being able to compare them with the paintings and drawings on which they are based.

_________________
Van Gogh's Letters: The Artist Speaks (Oct. 9, 2009 - Jan. 3, 2010) 
Van Gogh Museum | Website
=================

Van Gogh Letters Exhibit a Method Behind the Madness