Modern Mysteries

Hidden Van Gogh portrait discovered beneath painting

By T.K. Randall
July 14, 2022 ·  0 comments

The painting is a self-portrait of Van Gogh himself. Image Credit: Twitter / Van Gogh Museum One of the best known and influential artists of all time, Vincent Van Gogh is behind many of the world's most recognizable paintings such as "Sunflowers" and "The Starry Night".

Now, though, the number of works attributed to the Dutch artist has increased by one thanks to the chance discovery of an entirely new painting hidden behind "Head of a Peasant Woman".

The find was made by experts at the National Galleries of Scotland when they X-rayed the canvass prior to putting the painting on display at an exhibition.

The hidden image was covered up by layers of glue and cardboard and appears to be a self-portrait of the artist that has never been seen before."When we saw the X-ray for the first time, of course we were hugely excited," said senior conservator Lesley Stevenson.

"This is a significant discovery because it adds to what we already know about Van Gogh's life."

Van Gogh, who suffered from severe depression leading to his suicide at the age of just 37, sadly never saw success during his lifetime but was only recognized after his death.

These days, many of his works are valued at tens of millions of dollars.

NEWS: A previously unknown self-portrait by Van Gogh has been discovered hidden on the back of another painting. Experts at the @NatGalleriesSco made the find when the canvas was X-rayed before an exhibition. Read more: https://t.co/SKZKuUoh32

📸 National Galleries of Scotland pic.twitter.com/MF2g7BiGZa

— Van Gogh Museum (@vangoghmuseum) July 14, 2022

Source: BBC News | Comments (0)

Tags: Vincent Van Gogh