Self-Portrait (1889)
1889 · Oil on canvas · Musée d'Orsay, Paris
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About this work
- Artist
- Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890)
- Year
- 1889
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 65 × 54.2 cm
- Collection
- Musée d'Orsay, Paris
- Movement
- Post-Impressionism
Van Gogh looks out from a ground of swirling blue-green, the same colour as his jacket, so that the figure and the background seem to move together, with the red beard and the pale, set face the only warmth. He painted it at the asylum of Saint-Rémy in September 1889, soon after a severe attack, and sent it to Theo with a letter saying that he hoped it would show how he had regained his calm; his own description was of the eyes an ashen blue-green against a background of pale veronese green, the whole the same colour. It is the last of the self-portraits except one, and the most famous. It belongs to the Musée d'Orsay, which received it from the family of Paul Gachet in 1949.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A red-bearded face against a sea of swirling blue-green, for a study, hallway or living room at 24×36 in natural wood. Pale grey, cream or soft teal walls suit the single colour; pair it with Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Post-Impressionism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1889)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- intimate
- Rooms
- living room, hallway or entryway, study or library, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — natural wood flatters the lighter palette; black sharpens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Self-Portrait (1889) in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Self-Portrait (1889) painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
