Portrait of Dr. Gachet by Vincent van Gogh

Dr. Gachet was a physician who treated van Gogh in his last illness. He had painted the doctor and said, with the “heartbroken expression of our times.” Van Gogh viewed Doctor Gachet as a melancholy, thoughtful man.

Portrait of Dr. Gachet was painted six weeks before Van Gogh committed suicide in 1890. Dr. Paul Ferdinand Gachet was Homeopathic doctor and tended Van Gogh before his death.

Dr. Paul Ferdinand Gachet had small practice in Paris that brought him a little pleasure and in his free time he painted and etched, and was not without talent. Gachet was a patron and friend to many artists, including Pissarro and Cézanne and was one of the first to purchase their paintings.

In 1889, Van Gogh voluntarily stayed at St. Remy, a mental hospital, where he was treated for seizures. In the last months of his life, he stayed at Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris.

Dr. Gachet had agreed to look after van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise after his discharge from asylum at Saint Remy. Van Gogh lived there in an attic room above a café and spent much of his time at the doctor’s house.

Soon after arrival, Vincent expressed a wish to paint the doctor’s portrait. Pensive, almost careworn, with a slight hint of scepticism, his pale face, framed by blonde hair and topped by a white cap, stands out against the blue of the jacket and background. The artist felt a distinct affinity between the doctor and himself, of whom he said that he was “at least nervous as I am”.

In the Portrait of Dr. Gachet, Van Gogh was making a deliberate reference to the doctor’s profession by placing a stem of foxglove in Gachet’s hand. The plant was used to treat various heart ailments. The painting was sold at record $82.5 million to a Japanese buyer in May 15, 1990.
Portrait of Dr. Gachet by Vincent van Gogh