Self-portrait

Narrator: 

Van Gogh did not want to be photographed, yet his self-portraits are world famous. 

And this particular portrait received a lot of attention for a long time, also internationally… 

Vibeke Waallann Hansen, art historian at the National Museum says that Van Gogh painted the picture in 1889, the year before he died and after a long stay in a psychiatric hospital. 

Vibeke Waallann Hansen: 

He usually looks quite serious in many of his self-portraits. But right here, he just looks a bit... sad. 

And you can get really caught up in that. It's hard not to, especially when a person has had so many struggles and difficulties in their life, but is still able to create many beautiful artworks, that give people a lot of joy. 

Narrator: 

The painting was purchased by the National Gallery as early as 1910 and Edvard Munch was one of those who greatly enjoyed this artwork. He thought it was the most interesting artwork in the museum, but also strange and scary. The gloomy facial expression was one of the reasons why the painting later received a lot of attention when it was accused of being a forgery. 

Vibeke Waallann Hansen: 

The facial expression of Van Gogh in this painting is something that caused the researchers to start asking questions. It's not signed, it's unfinished. 

Narrator: 

The museum conducted investigations, and allied itself with the best expertise, namely the Van Gogh Museum itself. There, researchers, and conservators analyzed the image down to the smallest detail and compared it with other paintings from the same period. 

Vibeke Waallann Hansen: 

It was confirmed to have the same colours, the same paint, and the same canvas. That alone was not proof, because this was a type of standard paint and standard canvas that others could also have used. But, then there is the ownership history - where they managed to trace it all the way back to the first owners, who were the Ginoux couple, who were a couple whom Van Gogh stayed with when he was in Arles. And then, there is the painting technique, and of course the fact that it is very similar in likeness to Van Gogh himself… 

Narrator: 

In 2020, 110 years after the artwork was first purchased, the final confirmation came - The painting you have in front of you is a real Van Gogh, a self-portrait of a man as he wanted to be depicted himself.