Portrait of Dr. Gachet refers to two portraits painted by Dutch artist
Vincent van Gogh in 1890, depicting the
homeopathic doctor and artist
Paul Gachet. Van Gogh was staying with Gachet on the recommendation of his friend
Camille Pissarro, having spent a year in a mental asylum following a breakdown. He produced more than seventy paintings during his time with Gachet, including the portraits of his host. The paintings show Gachet with a melancholy face, which Van Gogh described as "the heartbroken expression of our time", seated next to some
foxgloves. The portraits of Dr. Gachet were completed just six weeks before Van Gogh shot himself and died from his wounds. The first version of the portrait sold for $82.5 million in 1990, making it at the time
the most expensive painting in history. The second version, pictured here, hangs in the
Musée d'Orsay in Paris, France.
Painting: Vincent van Gogh