Edited with text by Nienke Bakker, Katie Hanson. Text by Christopher D.M. Atkins, Rachel Childers, Muriel Geldof, Bregje Gerritse, Erin Mysak, Richard Newman, Kathrin Pilz, Lydia Vagts.
With vibrant colors and imaginative backgrounds, Van Gogh's affectionate renderings of an entire family underscore his love of portraiture
Vincent van Gogh once wrote, "What I’m most passionate about…is the portrait, the modern portrait." This passion flourished between 1888 and ’89 when, during his stay in Arles, in the South of France, the artist created a number of portraits of a neighboring family that had agreed to sit for him. The family included the local postman Joseph Roulin; his wife, Augustine; and their three children, Armand, Camille and Marcelle. Over the course of his year in Arles, the artist created an astonishing 26 painted portraits of the family members, both in groups and individually, as well as multiple drawings. Van Gogh’s tender relationship with the postman and his family and his groundbreaking portrayals of them are at the heart of this book, the first dedicated to the Roulin portraits. Drawing on letters from the artist, archival material, contemporary criticism and technical studies, The Roulin Family Portraits features insightful essays on Van Gogh’s practice, his beliefs about portraiture, his personal relationship with the Roulins and his admiration for his contemporaries as well as 17th-century Dutch portraitists. Vincent van Gogh (1853–90) began his painting career in his late twenties, influenced first by his work as a missionary in a mining region of Belgium, and later by his exposure to Impressionism while living in Paris. His bright signature style emerged after relocating to the South of France, where he produced more than 2,000 artworks in just over a decade.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Hyperallergic
Maya Pantone
The MFA Boston show is a commemoration of a unique and meaningful friendship, featuring 14 of paintings from the series. Shy, asocial, and debilitatingly lonely, van Gogh found a kindred connection with Roulin that fueled his own artwork and continued to resonate with him through the end of his life.
The Wall Street Journal
Karen Wilken
Organized by Nienke Bakker of the Van Gogh Museum, Katie Hanson of the MFA, and their team, and accompanied by an excellent catalog, the exhibition is the first devoted exclusively to the remarkable series.
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FORMAT: Pbk, 8.5 x 10 in. / 232 pgs / 100 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $35.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $53 GBP £30.00 ISBN: 9780878469031 PUBLISHER: MFA Publications, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston AVAILABLE: 4/22/2025 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Published by MFA Publications, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Edited with text by Nienke Bakker, Katie Hanson. Text by Christopher D.M. Atkins, Rachel Childers, Muriel Geldof, Bregje Gerritse, Erin Mysak, Richard Newman, Kathrin Pilz, Lydia Vagts.
With vibrant colors and imaginative backgrounds, Van Gogh's affectionate renderings of an entire family underscore his love of portraiture
Vincent van Gogh once wrote, "What I’m most passionate about…is the portrait, the modern portrait." This passion flourished between 1888 and ’89 when, during his stay in Arles, in the South of France, the artist created a number of portraits of a neighboring family that had agreed to sit for him. The family included the local postman Joseph Roulin; his wife, Augustine; and their three children, Armand, Camille and Marcelle. Over the course of his year in Arles, the artist created an astonishing 26 painted portraits of the family members, both in groups and individually, as well as multiple drawings.
Van Gogh’s tender relationship with the postman and his family and his groundbreaking portrayals of them are at the heart of this book, the first dedicated to the Roulin portraits. Drawing on letters from the artist, archival material, contemporary criticism and technical studies, The Roulin Family Portraits features insightful essays on Van Gogh’s practice, his beliefs about portraiture, his personal relationship with the Roulins and his admiration for his contemporaries as well as 17th-century Dutch portraitists.
Vincent van Gogh (1853–90) began his painting career in his late twenties, influenced first by his work as a missionary in a mining region of Belgium, and later by his exposure to Impressionism while living in Paris. His bright signature style emerged after relocating to the South of France, where he produced more than 2,000 artworks in just over a decade.
