Portrait of Eugène Boch
Vincent van Gogh · 1888
Why it's great
A thin, young poet with a sharp look, in a dark jacket, sits against a night-blue background full of stars. Van Gogh painted his friend, the Belgian painter Eugène Boch, with a sky of stars as a halo. He said he wanted to paint a poet with an infinite background. It's a lovely portrait.
Where to see it
📍 Musée d'OrsayParis, France
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Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:
These links open search results on each shop's own website; we don't sell anything or earn a commission, and print quality varies by seller. Ask a grown-up before you buy anything.
Vincent van Gogh was born in a small village in the Netherlands and worked as a teacher and art dealer before becoming a painter at age 27. He lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paris, and finally the sunny south of France, where his colors grew brighter and bolder. He painted more than 800 paintings in about a decade, yet sold almost none while alive. After his death at 37, his brother's family helped make him one of the most loved artists in history.
