The Des Moines Art Center presents Vincent van Gogh and the Psychology of Portraiture an exhibition on view October 7, 2011 — February 5, 2012 in the centers Blank One Gallery.
Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890) Portrait of Dr.Gachet (L’Homme à la Pipe), May 25, 1890 (detail) Etching on paper, 13 7/8 x 10 3/8 inches Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collection; Purchased with funds from the Mildred M. Bohen Deaccession Fund and from funds given by Harriet Macomber in Memory of J. Locke Macomber, 2011.4
This exhibition, drawn from the Art Center’s permanent collections, was inspired by the recent acquisition of Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet (L’Homme à la Pipe), 1890. The only etching van Gogh ever made, the work vividly portrays the doctor who treated and befriended him during the last months of his life. Etched with the artist’s signature swirling lines and emotional intensity, Van Gogh presents Dr. Gachet in a similar somber manner to his painting of the same man, what he described as the “heartbroken expression of our time,” and one that recalls many of the artist’s own self-portraits. Following the spirit of this work, several psychologically-charged portraits have been chosen not only for their emotional intensity but for the way they reveal each artist’s expressive powers. Oscar Wilde said that “Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.”
Spanning over a hundred years and various types of media, the works in this exhibition reveal much about artist, subject, and the creative dialogue between the two. In addition to Van Gogh, other artists on view include Lucian Freud, Chuck Close, and Andy Warhol, among others.
This exhibition is organized by Laura Burkhalter, associate curator.