Vincent van Gogh remains on the list of top-demand artists whose works are highly valued in the art market. Deals with continue to raise the bar every time, with a recent purchase of the artist’s 1885 painting titled Head of a Woman (Gordina de Groot in Dutch) sold for €8.6 million, which exceeds the $9.3 million mark. Here are the details of the deal.
Head of a Woman: Van Gogh’s Legacy
Head of a Woman is one of the few remaining works by this world-famous Dutch post-impressionist painter. The painting was created in the Netherlands under the early influence of , reflecting van Gogh’s fascination with peasant life and working-class people, which later changed to bright, fancy colors as the artist’s signature style.
Recent History of Painting’s Ownership
The Noordbrabants Museum in the Netherlands bought Head of a Woman (1885) from the art dealer and collector Daniel Katz in London. The latter acquired the painting only a year ago at Christie’s auction for an estimated price from $1.3 million to $2.6 million, changing the 120-year tradition of the painting’s stay in one family collection.
Daniel Katz’s investment turned out to be very lucrative, as he resold the painting in 2024 to a Dutch museum building its collection of van Gogh’s paintings with a record price tag for the artist’s works. Katz also invested an additional sum of money in the acquisition of the painting’s original frame to restore its original look. Interestingly, the Noordbrabants Museum was also among the bidders at the Christie’s auction in February 2023, but its representatives had to stop bidding after the price crossed a certain threshold.
The Museum approached Katz right after the auction’s results with a request for reselling the painting, but the dealer refused, agreeing only to its loan for the institution. This year, after the Museum’s intense fundraising efforts for “The Mona Lisa of Brabant,” the painting finally changed hands and became its property.
Continuing Interest in Van Gogh’s Art
Van Gogh remains at the top of the list of most-wanted painters across the globe. For instance, his painting, The Moored Boats (1887), is expected to be sold for an unbelievable $50 million at Christie’s Hong Kong auction this fall. Such a deal, if successful, will beat another record set by the $33.2 million purchase of van Gogh’s Coin de jardin avec papillons (1887), featuring his distinctive floral theme, this past May.
