Van Gogh in

Goupil & Cie II

Download walk Old map Since May 1874, Vincent van Gogh had worked in London for the art dealers Goupil & Cie, whose address was in Southampton Street. In January 1875, Goupil took over the London art dealers Holloway & Sons at 25 Bedford Street. Two months later, Vincent wrote to his brother Theo:

“Our gallery is now finished and it’s beautiful, we have many beautiful things at the moment: Jules Dupré, Michel, Daubigny, Maris, Israëls, Mauve, Bisschop, &c.” Read the complete letter

After the takeover, Goupil’s London branch shifted its focus, changing from a warehouse that dealt in reproductions to a showroom that sold art. In light of Vincent’s experience working for the firm in The Hague and Paris, ne might have expected him to be useful at the new location, but in May 1875 he was replaced and transferred to Goupil’s Paris branch.

In 1876, when Vincent was living in Isleworth, he went to London sometimes and occasionally visited his former workplace. There, he viewed works that had been sent over from the Netherlands. On seeing the characteristically Dutch landscapes, Vincent remarked that it was a pleasure to see “Holland’s cities and meadows” again.

The Goupil Gallery did business in Bedford Street until 1883, when it moved to 116 and 117 New Bond Street. It continued to trade there until its closure in 1893.