Van Gogh in

Boussod, Valadon & Cie II

The art dealers Boussod, Valadon & Cie, known as Goupil & Cie until 1884, played an important role in the Van Goghs’ lives. Vincent’s uncle, also named Vincent van Gogh, had been a partner in the firm since 1861 and had founded the branch in The Hague. Vincent worked for Goupil in The Hague, London and Paris from 1869 to 1876, and his younger brother Theo worked for the firm from 1873 on.

While the creation and sale of reproductions comprised the core of its business, the firm also sold original works by prominent artists such as Léon Augustin Lhermitte, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Vittorio Matteo Corcos, Camille Corot, Claude Monet, Charles-François Daubigny and Adolphe Monticelli. It faced heavy competition in Paris in the likes of the Georges Petit and Durand-Ruel galleries.

n 1881, Theo became the manager of Goupil’s Boulevard Montmartre gallery, one of their three locations in Paris. The firm’s headquarters was at 9 Rue Chaptal, and Vincent worked there in 1875 into 76. The two galleries were at 19 Boulevard Montmartre and 2 Place de L’Opera. The latter must have been majestic and prestigious; after seeing it on a visit to the city in 1873, Vincent wrote:

“The Paris branch is splendid, and much larger than I’d imagined. Especially the Place de l’Opéra.–“ Read the complete letter