In 1871, after a model failed to turn up, the American-born artist painted his 67-year-old mother Anna, who was living with him in Chelsea in London. Whistler entitled the resulting picture Arrangement in Grey and Black no. 1, although it is now usually referred to as simply Portrait of the Painter’s Mother.<\/p>\n
The painting belongs to the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay<\/a> in Paris, which is lending it to the London and Amsterdam exhibitions. It is still in its original frame, designed by Whistler himself, so those who only know the portrait from reproductions will have the chance to see it as the artist intended.<\/p>\n Whistler\u2019s Arrangement in Grey and Black no. 1, Portrait of the Painter’s Mother in its 1891 frame designed by the artist<\/p>\n The Art Newspaper (photograph)<\/p>\n Portrait of the Painter’s Mother has now come to represent an image of motherhood and the dignity of age. In their 2018 biography of Anna Whistler, authors Daniel Sutherland and Georgia Toutziari describe it as \u201cthe first modern portrait, to be both treated as an icon and abused by the iconoclasts\u201d.<\/p>\n It is uncertain whether Van Gogh knew the original painting, although it had been briefly displayed in London while he worked there as a trainee art dealer at a branch of the Goupil gallery. Whistler\u2019s show had opened at London\u2019s Flemish Gallery on 7 June 1874, and Van Gogh was in town until 25 June, when he went home to the Netherlands. It is likely that he saw the exhibition, but questionable whether he would have remembered the picture 15 years later.<\/p>\n However, Portrait of the Painter’s Mother had been published as a print on five occasions by 1889, and he likely would have seen at least one of them. As the picture is largely in tones of grey, a printed black-and-white image would have given a reasonable idea of the stark composition.<\/p>\n Missing story<\/p>\n Curiously, the Tate and Van Gogh Museum exhibition catalogues do not mention the fascinating links between Whistler and the Goupil gallery (by then renamed Boussod & Valadon) where Vincent\u2019s brother Theo worked in Paris.<\/p>\n In November 1887, Boussod & Valadon\u2019s London branch released a set of six earlier Whistler lithographs, including Nocturne: The River at Battersea. Theo, who was the manager of their Paris gallery, probably received a set. Vincent, who had long been an admirer of Whistler, was then sharing an apartment in Paris with Theo, so it is likely that he saw the 1887 lithographs.<\/p>\n Whistler\u2019s print Nocturne: The River at Battersea (1878, second state 1887), released by Boussod & Valadon<\/p>\n Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York<\/p>\n There would be further links between Whistler and Boussod & Valadon. In August 1891, their Paris gallery had two paintings on display: probably Nocturne in Blue and Gold: Southampton Water<\/a> (1872) and Nocturne in Blue and Gold: St Mark\u2019s Venice<\/a> (1880). Both pictures will be in Tate\u2019s exhibition, on loan from the Art Institute Chicago and the National Museum Cardiff, respectively.<\/p>\n Whistler\u2019s Nocturne in Blue and Gold: Southampton Water (1880)<\/p>\n Art Institute of Chicago (Stickney Fund)<\/p>\n Portrait of the Painter’s Mother was then shown in Boussod & Valadon\u2019s Paris gallery in November 1891. A few weeks later the painting was acquired by the Mus\u00e9e du Luxembourg in Paris, and eventually passed to the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay.<\/p>\n Vincent died in July 1890 and Theo in January 1891. Portrait of the Painter’s Mother therefore only went on show after Theo\u2019s death, but it is possible that he may have helped lay the foundations for the display.<\/p>\n The Van Gogh mother<\/p>\n Van Gogh\u2019s Portrait of the Artist\u2019s Mother (October 1888)<\/p>\n Norton Simon Museum, Los Angeles \u00a9 Norton Simon Art Foundation<\/p>\n In October 1888, Van Gogh painted a portrait of his own mother<\/a> who was also named Anna. Although Vincent had a fraught relationship with his father, he got along with his mother, although they were not close. He was living in Arles when he painted the only portrait of his mother, having last seen her three years earlier, and worked from a photograph.<\/p>\n Van Gogh gave Anna a lively expression, and made her appear younger than her 69 years (in the photograph he used, she appears considerably older). Van Gogh\u2019s Anna was actually two years older than Whistler\u2019s Anna, although one would hardly think so from the two painted portraits.<\/p>\n What is particularly striking in the Van Gogh painting is the powerful colouring, particularly the green background. Indeed, the Whistler and Van Gogh portraits could hardly be more different, in both colour palette and composition.<\/p>\n There is one further link between the two artists: Whistler\u2019s numerous painted riverside \u201cnocturnes\u201d may have played a role in inspiring Van Gogh to embark on Starry Night over the Rh\u00f4ne<\/a> (September 1888). Once again, the two avant-garde artists tackled similar motifs in such very different ways.<\/p>\n Van Gogh\u2019s Starry Night over the Rh\u00f4ne (September 1888)<\/p>\n Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay, Paris<\/p>\n Martin Bailey is a leading Van Gogh specialist and special correspondent for The Art Newspaper. He has curated exhibitions at the Barbican Art Gallery, Compton Verney\/National Gallery of Scotland and Tate Britain.<\/p>\n Martin Bailey\u2019s recent Van Gogh books<\/p>\n Martin has written a number of bestselling books on Van Gogh\u2019s years in France: The Sunflowers Are Mine: The Story of Van Gogh’s Masterpiece (Frances Lincoln 2013, UK<\/a> and US<\/a>), Studio of the South: Van Gogh in Provence (Frances Lincoln 2016, UK<\/a> and US<\/a>), Starry Night: Van Gogh at the Asylum (White Lion Publishing 2018, UK<\/a> and US<\/a>) and Van Gogh\u2019s Finale: Auvers and the Artist\u2019s Rise to Fame (Frances Lincoln 2021, UK<\/a> and US<\/a>). The Sunflowers are Mine (2024, UK<\/a> and US<\/a>) and Van Gogh\u2019s Finale (2024, UK<\/a> and US<\/a>) are also now available in a more compact paperback format.<\/p>\n His other recent books include Living with Vincent van Gogh: The Homes & Landscapes that shaped the Artist (White Lion Publishing 2019, UK<\/a> and US<\/a>), which provides an overview of the artist\u2019s life. The Illustrated Provence Letters of Van Gogh has been reissued (Batsford 2021, UK<\/a> and US<\/a>). My Friend Van Gogh\/Emile Bernard provides the first English translation of Bernard\u2019s writings on Van Gogh (David Zwirner Books 2023, UK<\/a>and US<\/a>).<\/p>\n To contact Martin Bailey, please email vangogh@theartnewspaper.com<\/a><\/p>\n Please note that he does not undertake authentications.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/85c31c91a3a679406bdd9be5b9e75f8e9cdd5957-4032x3024.jpg\"\/)
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