Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits

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Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) once wrote, “What I’m most passionate about…is the portrait, the modern portrait.” This passion flourished between 1888 and ’89 when, during his stay Arles, in the south of France, the artist created a number of portraits of a neighboring family—the postman Joseph Roulin; his wife, Augustine; and their three children: Armand, Camille, and Marcelle. Van Gogh’s tender relationship with the postman and his family, and his groundbreaking portrayals of them, are at the heart of this exhibition, which is the first dedicated to the Roulin portraits and the deep bonds of friendship between the artist and this family.

Visitors can see approximately 20 works by Van Gogh, including the MFA’s iconic portraits Postman Joseph Roulin (1888) and Lullaby: Madame Augustine Roulin Rocking a Cradle (La Berceuse) (1889) as well as important loans from museums such as the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Museum of Modern Art in New York, Art Institute of Chicago, and Musée d’Orsay in Paris. 

Additionally, key works of earlier Dutch art and Japanese woodblock prints—both of which profoundly informed Van Gogh’s portrait practice—along with new scientific findings provide critical insight into elements of the artist’s creative process, from his painterly touch to his choice of materials. Letters written by Postman Roulin bring to life the deep bond of friendship and a major turning point in Van Gogh’s life, as he moved to a new city and grappled with his mental health. He dreamed of creating a vibrant community of artists in Arles, which led to a visit by fellow painter Paul Gauguin, whose work is included in this exhibition.

Despite imagining himself as a husband and father, Van Gogh never married or had children. As he came to terms with this, he found comfort in his relationship with the Roulins; his portraits of them capture an intimacy that resonates across place and time in families of all kinds—biological, chosen, or observed. This exhibition gives visitors the most in-depth look yet at the emotional underpinnings of some of the beloved artist’s most widely recognized paintings.

Organized in partnership with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, “Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits” is accompanied by a catalogue from MFA Publications.

Credit: Overview from museum website

Image:  ​​Vincent van Gogh, The Postman Joseph Roulin (detail), 1889. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William A. M. Burden, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Rosenberg, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Mr. and Mrs. Armand P. Bartos, The Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection, Mr. and Mrs. Wener E. Josten, and Loula D. Lasker Bequest (all by exchange), 1989. Photo Credit: Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY.​​​