Van Gogh Self-Portraits

The first ever exhibition devoted to Vincent van Gogh’s self-portraits across his entire career will take place at The Courtauld Gallery from 3 Feb – 8 May 2022.

Van Gogh Self-Portraits takes as its springboard Van Gogh’s iconic Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, one of the most celebrated works in The Courtauld’s collection, and will bring together around half of the self-portraits Van Gogh created during his short years as a painter – an exciting opportunity, given that many of these works are rarely lent.

This will be the first time that the full span of Van Gogh’s self-portraiture has been explored in an exhibition. An outstanding selection of more than 15 self-portraits will be brought together to trace the evolution of Van Gogh’s self representation, from his early Self-Portrait with a Dark Felt Hat, created in 1886 during his formative period in Paris, to Self-Portrait with a Palette, painted at the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in September 1889, one of his last self-portraits before his death in 1890.

The exhibition will be presented in The Courtauld’s new Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries and will be the first in the new Morgan Stanley Series of high-profile temporary exhibitions at The Courtauld.

It will showcase Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear alongside masterpieces from major international collections, including the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Detroit Institute of Arts; the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC; the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, and the National Gallery, London. Several works in the exhibition were last together in Van Gogh’s studio and have never been reunited, until now.

The myth of Van Gogh today is linked as much to his extraordinary life as it is to his stunning paintings. This exhibition will allow both aspects to be explored. It is an opportunity and exhibition never to be repeated as Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear will be permanently on display at The Courtauld Gallery when it reopens and is unlikely to be lent elsewhere for many years to come.

A fully illustrated catalogue, featuring essays by international collaborators and presenting new research, as well as detailed entries on each of the works on display, will be published to coincide with the exhibition.

More details about tickets will be announced later this year.