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Head of a Prostitute
Vincent van Gogh, December 1885

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Head of a Prostitute

Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Antwerp, December 1885

oil on canvas, 35.2 cm x 24.4 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)


By choosing this contemporary subject, Van Gogh presented himself as a modern painter of city life. That included the margins of society and the prostitutes who lived there.

This woman may not look like a prostitute at first glance. But in the nineteenth century, loose hair was a sign of loose morals. Van Gogh used rough brushstrokes to paint her face. He succeeded in giving her features volume and life.

Search in the collection:

  • 1885
  • Antwerp
  • painting
  • study
  • figure (representation)
  • heads
  • Vincent van Gogh

F-number
F0206
JH-number
JH0972
Object number
s0059V1962
Credits (obliged to state)
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Dimensions
35.2 cm x 24.4 cm, 52.9 cm x 41.9 cm

Related work

Portrait of a Prostitute, 1885