The only van Gogh painting in Poland is in the John Paul II and Primate Wyszynski Museum in Warsaw’s Wilanów district. The first and only van Gogh painting in Poland came to our country in the 1980s, and has been on deposit at the John Paul II and Stefan Wyszyński Museum since 2020. Interestingly, the painting changed hands over the years, and its owners often did not realise how valuable the object was. After years of research, it was finally possible to confirm the authenticity of the painting stored in the Porczynski Gallery in Warsaw.
“Country Cottage Among the Trees” – the only van Gogh painting in Poland
The painting ‘Rural Cottages Among the Trees’ was created in 1883. “Country cottages in the midst of the trees” was painted in the Dutch town of Nuenen, near Eindhoven. An outstanding painter specialising in Post-Impressionism, he created the painting about five years before his most famous works – such as ‘Sunflowers’ and ‘Room in Arles’. The painting changed owners many times and travelled almost all over Europe. What is important here is that the great master’s work was only appreciated after the artist’s death, as it was only at the beginning of the 20th century that his works gained notoriety. This meant that the original owners of the painting may not have been aware of how valuable an object they had in their collection. Later, when the work was acquired by subsequent buyers, it became even more difficult to trace the author and provenance of the painting.
‘Rural huts’ by van Gogh – how did it come to Poland?
In the 1980s, the work found its way to Poland. At the time, no one realised that this was the only van Gogh in the Polish collection, as van Gogh paintings were very often falsified due to their value. Experts from the Laboratory of Analyses and Non-Destructive Testing of Historical Objects at the Krakow branch of the National Museum conducted the expert analysis. They collaborated with experts from the famous Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Due to the enormous value of the painting, many complex techniques were used, such as UV light, X-rays, microscopes and scanners. Once its authenticity was confirmed, conservation work was undertaken. Thanks to the staff of the Museum of John Paul II and Primate Wyszyński and the laboratory of the National Museum in Krakow, the painting underwent specialist examination and thorough conservation.
We carried out a detailed analysis of the pigments used in the work. These pigments not only corresponded to those described by van Gogh in his letters to his brother, but were also consistent with the materials he used in other works from the period ,’ says Dr Julio del Hoyo, head of LANBOZ.
On the occasion of the research, the painting underwent a complex conservation process that lasted many months. Dirt was removed from the canvas, the oak sub-image was reinforced and the work was given a new frame.
It matches this early period of van Gogh’s work and brings out the charm of his paintings. This frame inside is equipped with a so-called ‘microclimatic showcase’, which allows the work to be stored safely,” explains Katarzyna Novljaković, head of the Paintings and Sculpture Conservation Studio at the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow.
The only van Gogh painting in Poland – where to see it?
The work is in the collection of the John Paul II and Primate Wyszynski Museum in Warsaw’s Wilanów district. The only painting by Vincent van Gogh in the Polish collection will be made available to the public on 26 April 2024. A link to the museum’s website can be found by clicking HERE!
“van Gogh’s ‘Country Cottage among the Trees’ – how much is the painting worth?
It is likely that Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Rural Cottages in the Trees’ will never be sold and will hopefully remain in Polish collections forever. Comparing the prices of similar paintings by the Dutch master created in a similar period, one can estimate the price at several to several million dollars. For example, the painting ‘Landscape with Pollard Willows’, which was painted a year later than ‘Rural Cottages Among the Trees’, was sold at Christies auction in 2021 for $7.3 million. However, this is only a fraction of the prices reached by paintings from the later period of his oeuvre. Their values often exceed $100 million.
source: Press materials of the John Paul II and Primate Wyszyński Museum in Wilanów, Warsaw(https://mt514.pl)/ Sothebys / Christies / Vincent van Gogh Museum
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