Van Gogh painting for sale at upcoming TEFAF art fair in Maastricht

The Vincent van Gogh painting “Tête de paysanne à la coiffe blanche” will be for sale at the annual art and antiques fair Tefaf in Maastricht next month. The painting is offered by the American gallery M.S. Rau from New Orleans, which did not disclose an asking price.

The painting, the name of which translates to “Head of an old farmer’s wife with a white hat,” is painted with oil paint on a canvas of 63 by 48 centimeters. Van Gogh painted the portrait around 1884 while living in Nuenen.

M.S. Rau called the painting “a striking and evocative example” of Van Gogh’s early portraiture. It “showcases the artists’ powerful ability to capture both the likeness and the essence of his sitters,” the gallery said.

The gallery pointed out that the world-famous painting The Potato Eaters (1885) also dates from Van Gogh’s period in Nuenen. “Works from van Gogh’s time in the Dutch village of Nuenen are highly sought after as they capture the crucial moment in his career, where van Gogh connected to his past, focused on the evolution of his artistic genius, and created some of the most iconic works in his magnificent oeuvre.”