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Portrait of Doctor Gachet - Definition and Overview |
| Related Words: Account, Cameo, Catalog, Character, Characterization, Cheesecake, Copy, Counterfeit, Description, Details, Double |
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The first version of Portrait of Dr. Gachet, that was sold in 1990 for $82.5 million. The location and owner of the painting is currently not known. Portrait of Dr. Gachet is one of the most famous paintings by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh which he painted in two versions in June 1890 during the last months of his life. Both paintings are 67 x 56 cm (26" x 22") in size and are oil paintings on canvas.
The portraits were painted in Auvers-sur-Oise close to Paris, and depicts Doctor Gachet as well as a foxglove plant. Gatchet took care of van Gogh during his last months. Gatchet was also a hobby painter and became good friends with Vincent van Gogh; it was he who requested that van Gogh should paint a second version of the portrait. The foxglove in the painting is a plant from which digitalis, used for heart treatment, is extracted. The foxglove is thereby an attribute of Gachet.
The painting became world famous in 1990 when a Japanese businessman named Ryoei Saito bought the painting at an auction in New York for $82.5 million; this made it the most expensive painting to date. Ryoei Saito died in 1996 and since then it has not been known who owns the painting and where it is. It is assumed to be in a private collection somewhere in the world.
The other version of the portrait is currently in Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France.
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