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Scotland museum discovers Van Gogh self-portrait behind painting
Jul 17, 2022EDINBURGH, Scotland: The National Galleries of Scotland has announced that a previously unknown self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh has been discovered behind another of the artist’s paintings.
The work was found on the back of Van Gogh’s “Head of a Peasant Woman,” when experts at the Edinburgh gallery took an X-ray of the canvas ahead of an upcoming exhibition. The newly found portrait is believed to have been hidden for over one century.
Van Gogh was known to save money by turning canvases around and painting on the opposite side.
According to experts, the portrait was instantly recognizable as the artist himself, and is thought to be an early work since the left ear, which Van Gogh famously cut off in 1888, is clearly visible.
“Moments like this are incredibly rare. We have discovered an unknown work by Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most important and popular artists in the world,” said Frances Fowle, a senior curator at the National Galleries of Scotland, as quoted by the Associated Press.
Experts are evaluating how to remove the glue and cardboard surrounding the discovery without harming “Head of a Peasant Woman,” on the opposite side, the gallery said.
Visitors to an upcoming Impressionist exhibit, entitled, “A Taste for Impressionism,” at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh will be able to view an X-ray image of the self-portrait through a lightbox.
