Drawing of Montmartre in Paris is by Vincent van Gogh, experts confirm

The hill of Montmartre: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

An unknown drawing in a private art collection has been identified as the work of Vincent van Gogh. The Hill of Montmartre with Stone Quarry, which dates from March 1886, has been confirmed as genuine following extensive research into the subject, style, technique, materials and provenance, the Van Gogh museum said on Tuesday.

The discovery of the new Van Gogh means another drawing, previously rejected as being by him, can also be confirmed as the work of the Dutch artist. The Hill of Montmartre (1886) shares an unmistakable connection to the newly-discovered drawing in terms of subject, size, style, technique and materials, the museum said.

‘It is fantastic news that two drawings can now definitively be added to Van Gogh’s oeuvre,’ museum director Axel Rüger said. There are more than 900 known drawings by Van Gogh, in addition to five sketchbooks.

The research has also indicated that The Hill of Montmartre with Stone Quarry was once part of Vincent and Theo van Gogh’s collection. Theo’s widow Johanna van Gogh-Bonger consigned the work to the art dealer J. H. de Bois in Haarlem in 1911. He sold the work in circa 1917, after which time it disappeared from view.

This was 11 years before the first catalogue of Van Gogh’s oeuvre was published (De la Faille, 1928). The drawing has never before been exhibited or included in a publication.

Both drawings will be on display as part of Impressionism & Beyond. A Wonderful Journey, an exhibition at Singer Laren featuring French Impressionist, post-Impressionist and Expressionist works from the Van Vlissingen Art Foundation collection.

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