The upcoming auction of Vincent Van Gogh’s painting, Head of a Woman, is expected to fetch a price between £1-2 million. The painting, created in 1885, portrays Gordina de Groot, who also appears in another famous work by Van Gogh, The Potato Eaters. Van Gogh’s period in Nuenen was marked by his interest in producing studies of peasants’ heads. Christie has highlighted the tenderness between the artist and the sitter that is evident in the potency of her stare.
Van Gogh produced Head of a Woman while he resided in Nuenen. In a letter to his brother, he expressed his enthusiasm for the “inexhaustible resource” of subjects from peasant life, and he used this period to study peasants’ heads. Gordina de Groot, the woman depicted in the painting, wears a white bonnet, which created intriguing shadows that caught the artist’s attention. Christie’s noted that the intimate nature of the painting suggests a particular tenderness between the artist and the sitter.
The painting has an interesting provenance. It was first owned by Van Gogh’s family and then changed hands five times before being bequeathed to Anna-Marie Veuve-Pierson in The Hague. She later relocated to Zurich, and the painting has remained in Switzerland since. It was last exhibited at Kunsthaus Zurich in 1943. The auction will be part of Christie’s 20th / 21st Century: London Evening Sale.
In conclusion, the upcoming auction of Head of a Woman by Vincent Van Gogh is generating excitement among art enthusiasts. The painting’s intimate nature suggests a particular tenderness between the artist and the sitter, and its provenance adds to its intrigue. It will be interesting to see how much the painting will fetch at the auction, and who will be the new owner of this beautiful artwork.
