Focus on Vincent van Gogh (Russell painting) and discuss the Provenance.
Van Gogh was delighted with the painting, and held it in such high regard that Russell gave it to him as a mark of their friendship. Characteristically, Van Gogh insisted on an exchange rather than a gift, and allowed Russell to have some of his works. Russell chose an 1882 drawing titled Worn Out (the basis of Van Gogh's 1890 painting At Eternity's Gate), and the 1886 still life Three Pairs of Shoes. According to Cathy Peake of The Australian, Russell's choices show "how profoundly and instinctively he understood the art and ambitions of his friend." Van Gogh sent the portrait to his brother Theo, and years later reminded him in a letter to "take good care of my portrait by Russell, which means a lot to me." After Theo's death in January 1891, the painting ended up in the possession of his widow, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, and then their son, William Vincent van Gogh. The portrait is now on permanent loan to Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum.
Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum Theo Johanna van Gogh-Bonger Worn Out At Eternity's Gate Three Pairs of Shoes Vincent van Gogh The Australian