Piotr Dmitrowicz, director of the Museum of John Paul II and Primate Wyszyński in the Warsaw district of Wilanów, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) on Monday that the painting titled ‘Farmhouse Among Trees’ had recently undergone
conservation work and had also been officially authenticated as being a work by the Dutch painter.
“Discussions about whether van Gogh is the author of the painting began
several years ago. However, never before has a painting been subjected to such a professional conservation examination and checks as to whether it is original,” Dmitrowicz said.
The research was conducted by specialists from the
Laboratory for Analysis and Non-Destructive Testing of Historical Objects (LANBOZ) of the Kraków branch of the National Museum. They also invited
experts from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to cooperate in the authentication process.
The conclusions indicate that ‘Farmhouse Among Trees’ was
painted by van Gogh at an early stage of his career. “We carried out a detailed analysis of the pigments used in the work,” said Dr. Julio del Hoyo, the director of LANBOZ.
“These pigments not only
corresponded to those described by van Gogh in letters to his brother but were also consistent with the materials he used in other works from this period,” said Dr. del Hoyo.
‘Farmhouse Among Trees’, which was painted in 1883,
will go on public display from April 26 in the Museum of John Paul II and Primate Wyszyński, in the Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw’s Wilanow.