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Dutch Museum Acquires Van Gogh Work For $9M

The Noordbrabants Museum in the Netherlands has bought a van Gogh painting for an impressive €8.6 million ($9.34 million).

Titled ‘Head of a Woman (Gordina de Groot)’, the 1885 painting by Vincent van Gogh is one of his lesser-known works. Nonetheless, the rise in the artist’s popularity in the last decade contributed to the hype around every single work by his hands. Now, the Noordbrabants Museum, located in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, has acquired another of his works. The museum bought the painting from London-based collector Daniel Katz for $9.34 million, one of the most expensive van Gogh works ever sold.

The painting had been in the private collection of a single family for 120 years before it appeared on the auction block at Christie’s in February of last year. Surpassing the estimates of £1 million – £2 million, the work was sold to Daniel Katz for £4.8 million ($6.3 million). Katz also later bought the original frame of the painting.

Meanwhile, the Noordbrabants Museum had also been trying to acquire the painting since the Christie’s auction – going so far as to start fundraising for the same. While Katz initially declined, he finally gave in to the deal. The painting will now join the museum’s collection of five other van Goghs they have acquired since 2016 – not counting the six more works by the artist currently on loan there. The Noordbrabants have been trying to position themselves as the exclusive destination for van Gogh’s works.