ticketsMember | Make a donation

Portrait of Doctor Gachet or Man with a Pipe

1890
Not on view
Van Gogh made this print—his only etching—just six weeks before his death. In May 1890, Van Gogh left the asylum in Saint-Rémy for Auvers-sur-Oise, where he was under the care of Dr. Paul Ferdinand Gachet. The doctor was an amateur etcher, who signed his works "Van Ryssel." He provided Van Gogh with an etching plate and needle and the opportunity to use the press in his home. The artist chose to etch Gachet’s portrait, which he also painted twice in oil (Private Collection and Musée d’Orsay, Paris). This impression is inscribed on the inside of the folded sheet as an artist’s proof printed by Van Ryssel/Gachet and is richly inked and selectively wiped. Van Gogh expressed enthusiasm for the medium and wrote to his brother Theo of his desire to continue to collaborate with Gachet to create more etchings based on his paintings from the south of France. Regrettably, his death by suicide on July 29, 1890 prevented him from realizing the project.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Portrait of Doctor Gachet or Man with a Pipe
  • Artist: Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, Zundert 1853–1890 Auvers-sur-Oise)
  • Printer: Paul-Ferdinand Gachet
  • Date: 1890
  • Medium: Etching
  • Dimensions: Sheet (folded): 12 13/16 × 9 13/16 in. (32.5 × 25 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Fletcher Fund, William R. Drexler Sr. and Violet Drexler Bequest, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, and The Derald H. Ruttenberg Foundation, in honor of Nadine M. Orenstein and Charles and Jessie Price Gifts, 2021
  • Object Number: 2021.243
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Lettres de Vincent van Gogh a Son Frère Théo
Vincent van Gogh
1937
The Potato Peeler (reverse: Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat), Vincent van Gogh Dutch, Oil on canvas
The Potato Peeler (reverse: Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat)
Vincent van Gogh
1885
Road in Etten, Vincent van Gogh Dutch, Chalk, pencil, pastel, watercolor. Underdrawing in pen and brown ink.
Road in Etten
Vincent van Gogh
1881
Wheat Field, Vincent van Gogh Dutch, Reed pen and logwood ink over graphite on wove paper
Wheat Field
Vincent van Gogh
July 1888
Madame Roulin and Her Baby, Vincent van Gogh Dutch, Oil on canvas
Madame Roulin and Her Baby
Vincent van Gogh
1888

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.