Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear
Maker
(Artists)
1853-1890
1853-1890
Title
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear
Date of Production
1889
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Height: 60.5 cm (canvas)
Width: 50 cm (canvas)
Width: 50 cm (canvas)
Accession Number
P.1948.SC.175
Mode of Acquisition
Samuel Courtauld, bequest, 1948
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Location
On display
Keywords
Related Works
Label Text
This famous self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh expresses his artistic power and personal struggles.
Van Gogh painted it in January 1889, a week after leaving hospital. He had received treatment there after cutting off most of his left ear (shown here as the bandaged right ear because he painted himself in a mirror). This self-mutilation was a desperate act committed a few weeks earlier, following a heated argument with his fellow painter Paul Gauguin.
Van Gogh’s fur cap secures his thick bandage and wards off the winter cold. Created in harsh conditions, this self-portrait demonstrates Van Gogh’s determination to continue painting, reinforced by the objects behind him: a canvas on an easel and a Japanese print, an important source of inspiration. Above all, it is Van Gogh’s brushwork and powerful handling of colour that declare his renewed ambition as a painter.
Van Gogh painted it in January 1889, a week after leaving hospital. He had received treatment there after cutting off most of his left ear (shown here as the bandaged right ear because he painted himself in a mirror). This self-mutilation was a desperate act committed a few weeks earlier, following a heated argument with his fellow painter Paul Gauguin.
Van Gogh’s fur cap secures his thick bandage and wards off the winter cold. Created in harsh conditions, this self-portrait demonstrates Van Gogh’s determination to continue painting, reinforced by the objects behind him: a canvas on an easel and a Japanese print, an important source of inspiration. Above all, it is Van Gogh’s brushwork and powerful handling of colour that declare his renewed ambition as a painter.
Provenance
Père Tanguy, Paris; Comte A de La Rochefoucauld, Paris; Paul Rosenberg, Paris; purchased by Samuel Courtauld, October 1928; Samuel Courtauld Bequest 1948.
Exhibition History
Van Gogh's Self-Portraits, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 03/02/2022-08/05/2022
In the Picture: Portraying the artist, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 21/02/2020-30/08/2020
Part of general displays, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 01/08/2019-01/09/2020 ...More
The Courtauld Collection. A Vision for Impressionism, Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris, 20/02/2019-17/06/2019
Part of general displays, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 25/06/2018-01/02/2019
Van Gogh and Japan, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 23/03/2018-24/06/2018
Portrait of the Artist as ..., The Courtauld Gallery, London, 26/06/2012-22/07/2012
Into the 20th century - New Displays at the Courtauld, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 10/10/2002
National Gallery (to be displayed with permanent collection), National Gallery, London, 01/09/1997-01/06/1998
Van Gogh, Tate Gallery & London & England, 1947 ...Less
In the Picture: Portraying the artist, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 21/02/2020-30/08/2020
Part of general displays, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 01/08/2019-01/09/2020 ...More
The Courtauld Collection. A Vision for Impressionism, Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris, 20/02/2019-17/06/2019
Part of general displays, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 25/06/2018-01/02/2019
Van Gogh and Japan, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 23/03/2018-24/06/2018
Portrait of the Artist as ..., The Courtauld Gallery, London, 26/06/2012-22/07/2012
Into the 20th century - New Displays at the Courtauld, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 10/10/2002
National Gallery (to be displayed with permanent collection), National Gallery, London, 01/09/1997-01/06/1998
Van Gogh, Tate Gallery & London & England, 1947 ...Less
Information on this object may be incomplete and will be updated as research progresses. We are particularly committed to addressing any discriminatory or offensive language and ideas that might be present in our records. To help improve this record, and to enquire about images of The Courtauld Gallery Collection, please email gallery.collectionsonline@courtauld.ac.uk. Find out more about using and licensing our images.
____________________________
