Portrait of Dr. Gachet

Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh painted this Portrait of Dr. Gachet in June 1890 at Auvers-sur-Oise, just six weeks before his death. Dr. Paul Gachet was the homeopathic physician and amateur artist who cared for Van Gogh after his release from the Saint-Rémy asylum. The portrait shows him leaning on his hand, a sprig of foxglove on the table. Foxglove provides digitalis, used to treat heart conditions.

Van Gogh created two versions. The more famous first version sold at Christie's in May 1990 for $82.5 million, then the highest price ever paid for a painting. Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito won the three-minute bidding war. He once joked about having it burned with his body when he died, though the painting was privately sold before his 1996 death. Its current location remains unclear.

The painting measures 67 by 56 centimeters. Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo that Gachet's expression captured "the heartbroken expression of our time." The blue coat against the swirling blue background creates a melancholy atmosphere that still resonates.