The mystery ends over Wadsworth’s van Gogh
EXPERTS VERIFY WADSWORTH’S ‘VASE WITH POPPIES’ AS VAN GOGH’S
More than half a century ago, a respected writer and art collector gave the Wadsworth Atheneum a vibrant painting of poppies, said to be the work of Vincent van Gogh. It was an astonishing gift for the Hartford museum to receive.
But the passage of time brought speculation about the painting’s authenticity, so the museum eventually removed it from display, patiently awaiting a day when new technology and research might answer the question: Is “Vase with Poppies” an original van Gogh?
Nearly 30 years later, buoyed by new details gleaned from modern imaging equipment, the Wadsworth reached out to specialists at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The result was spectacular, leading to the recent announcement that the painting has been fully authenticated as a work of the Dutch master.
“It’s tremendous!” says Tom Loughman, director and CEO of the Wadsworth. Soon “Vase with Poppies” will join the museum’s other van Gogh, “Self Portrait,” on display. Both were done during the artist’s Paris period (18861887), and were painted on top of earlier compositions, a common practice.
“That the museum took its time and was able to reach out to colleagues who devoted their whole careers to this artist’s work, and that it all mattered, is just a great feeling,” Loughman says.
Researchers examined the paint, style and linen to verify the painting’s provenance. More than a year of analysis was required.
“It’s like wow, we took a chance ... and it really worked out tremendously. They put a lot of effort into it and in the end the world has another picture by van
Gogh.” Instead of it just being a decorative painting on a wall somewhere, “we have an important piece of the Vincent story to share with the public here in Connecticut and around the world.”
The picture was bequeathed to the Wadsworth in 1957 by Anne Parrish Titzell (of Redding and New York City), along with works by Renoir, Monet, and Redon. “It has been in the collection just over 60 years, but it hasn’t been displayed in our galleries for 30 years. It hasn’t been lent anywhere for 50 years. It hasn’t been part of the public story about van Gogh.”
Loughman says the artwork was X-rayed about three decades ago with medical equipment at a local hospital. You could see an image was under the poppies, but it was kind of “a blob.” A few years ago, thanks to a grant from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation, the museum acquired a better digital X-ray machine for fine art use, and was able to take a fresh look at the picture. Doing so revealed “a pretty discernible image of a portrait under it,” including an ear.
Determined to learn more, the museum took action. It sent the painting out into the universe, so to speak, hoping the truth would be revealed.
“We already knew it had come to us as a van Gogh. There hadn’t been many questions about its authenticity until around 1990 when there was a global discussion about van Gogh’s work in 1886, and were these 1886 paintings good enough to be considered by the hand of the master? Frankly, from that point on, we had to consider those doubts in the field seriously.”
Van Gogh didn’t sign all of his paintings. But Loughman says the signing of an artwork isn’t necessarily indicative of anything. “When this picture came to us we had every reason to believe it was a van Gogh.”
Loughman says what he loves most about the painting is its story, “that we were able to make a major breakthrough and tie this picture back to the artist.”
He says it helps tell an exciting, emerging tale “about him coming into his own,” leaving behind a time when he was “painting dark, brooding, moody things and all of a sudden painting with an explosion of color and light. It’s like watching Vincent van Gogh become Vincent — the one that we know.”
And now that the artwork’s authenticity has been verified, what’s it worth? Loughman says, “It wasn’t for sale before and is not for sale now, so ‘priceless’ is my answer.”
It’s ironic when you consider van Gogh struggled with poverty and was virtually unknown during his short life, 1853-1890. Yet now, beloved for paintings such as “The Starry Night,” he’s among the most famous and influential artists of all time.
“Vase with Poppies” will return home to the Wadsworth Atheneum for the opening of the 38th annual “Fine Art and Flowers” show, Friday, April 26.