During the prestigious TEFAF Maastricht art fair, the Van Gogh Museum made a significant addition to its collection by acquiring L'homme est en mer, a captivating painting created by Virginie Demont-Breton between 1887 and 1888. This remarkable piece now stands as the only third artwork by a female artist in the museum's extensive collection, as reported by Artnet News.
The painting portrays a woman gazing longingly while cradling an infant, likely yearning for the man depicted at sea. The museum secured this piece with public funds earmarked for acquisitions, purchasing it for an estimated price between €500,000 and €1 million (approximately $543,000 to $1.1 million). The transaction took place on the opening day of TEFAF and was facilitated by Gallery 19C from Dallas-Fort Worth, where the artwork had been held in a private collection for two decades.
Notably, Vincent van Gogh had previously encountered Demont-Breton's work reproduced in a magazine dedicated to French salon paintings, which inspired him to create a copy of it. This connection highlights the importance of her work, as it is one of the few pieces by a female artist that Van Gogh is known to have emulated.
Lisa Smit, the museum's curator of paintings, expressed her admiration for L'homme est en mer, stating, "Van Gogh was a big fan of the work of Demont-Breton's father, Jules Breton. He would have seen a lot of sentiment in this work. It is heartfelt, it is truthful. You can immediately feel for the figure. It is a depiction of motherhood that is not idyllic."
Previously, this painting was sold at Christie's in 2000 for $99,500. The auction house noted that Demont-Breton's artistic range included religious themes, genre scenes, and landscapes, but she particularly excelled in her poignant representations of family life.
The acquisition by the Van Gogh Museum not only enriches its collection but also underscores the growing recognition of female artists in the art world. As institutions continue to embrace diversity in their collections, it paves the way for a more inclusive narrative in art history, inspiring future generations to appreciate and celebrate the contributions of women in the arts.