Vincent Van Gogh on his Deathbed
Dr. Paul Gachet, the amateur artist and doctor in whose care Vincent Van Gogh spent his final months in Auvers-sur-Oise, made several drawings of the deceased painter following his suicide, on which he based this print. It is a somber counterpart to the lively etched portrait of Gachet made by Van Gogh only weeks earlier (2021.243). Gachet signed his works “Van Ryssel”—deriving the name from his birthplace near Lille (“Ryssel” in Flemish)—and encouraged a number of artists, including Van Gogh, to try etching by sharing access to the press in his home. This impression is dedicated to Louis Lumet, an anarchist writer, who co-founded an organization called L’Art pour tous (Art for All) in 1901, whom Gachet likely met through Socialist circles.
Artwork Details
- Title: Vincent Van Gogh on his Deathbed
- Artist: Dr. Paul Ferdinand Gachet
- Subject: Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, Zundert 1853–1890 Auvers-sur-Oise)
- Dedicatee: Louis Lumet (French, Issoudun 1870–1923 Paris)
- Date: ca. 1890
- Medium: Etching and drypoint
- Dimensions: Plate: 4 13/16 × 6 11/16 in. (12.2 × 17 cm)
Sheet: 9 1/4 × 11 7/16 in. (23.5 × 29 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Purchase, PECO Foundation Gift, 2023
- Object Number: 2023.76
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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