A statue of ''Vincent and Theo van Gogh'' by

Ossip Zadkine Ossip Zadkine (russian: Осип Цадкин; 28 January 1888 – 25 November 1967) was a Belarusian-born French artist. He is best known as a sculptor, but also produced paintings and lithographs. Early years and education Zadkine was born on ...

stands on Vincent van Goghplein (Dutch:Vincent van Gogh square) in the town of

Zundert Zundert () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and town in the south of the Netherlands bordering Belgium, in the province of North Brabant. Zundert is the birthplace of Post-impressionism, post-impressionist painter Vincent va ...

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It stands in front of the and not far from the place where the brothers were born. The bronze statue was unveiled by

Queen Juliana Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Sh ...

on 28 May 1964.

Description

The statue is approximately tall. It depicts two men standing on a thick square bronze base plate, mounted on a low square stone plinth. The attenuated figures have similar modelling to Zadkine's statue ''

De verwoeste stad ''The Destroyed City'' (Dutch: ''De verwoeste stad'') is a bronze memorial sculpture in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. It commemorates the German bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May 1940, which destroyed the medieval centre of the city. Unveiled in 19 ...

'' ("The devastated city") in Rotterdam. The figures stand close together, intertwined, holding hands and leaning their heads together, although neither figure closely resembles the person it is intended to represent. The high light coloured stone plinth comes from

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (; Provençal Occitan: ''Sant Romieg de Provença'' in classical and ''Sant Roumié de Prouvènço'' in Mistralian norms) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southern France. Loc ...

in the south of France, where

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...

resided for a year, and was donated by the municipal council of the French town. It contains a tube with soil from the garden of the hospital at the monastery of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, where Vincent was treated for his mental health condition. The plinth has weathered from white to a dirty yellow, stained by

verdigris Verdigris is the common name for blue-green, copper-based pigments that form a patina on copper, bronze, and brass. The technical literature is ambiguous as to its chemical composition. Some sources refer to "neutral verdigris" as copper(II) ac ...

leached from the bronze sculpture. The front is inscribed with a quotation in French from one of the last letters written by Vincent to Theo van Gogh, dated 23 July 1890. This letter remained unfinished and unsent at the time of Vincent's death; he had it with him when he shot himself on 27 July, causing wounds that ultimately led to his death two days later:RM25, To Theo van Gogh. Auvers-sur-Oise, Wednesday, 23 July 1890.
vangoghletters.org. Van Gogh Museum. par mon intermédiaire tu as ta part à la production même de certaines toiles qui même dans la debâcle gardent leur calme uit de laatste brief van vincent aan theo The words can be liberally translated to English as through my deeds you have witnessed the creation of several paintings which will breathe tranquillity even in times of upheaval from the last letter from vincent to theo

Reception

The statue was a gift from

Van Lanschot Bankiers Van Lanschot Kempen N.V. is a specialised, independent wealth manager that provides private banking, investment management and investment banking services to wealthy individuals and institutions. It is headquartered in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Nether ...

, to mark the 225th anniversary of the founding of the bank in 1737. The Van Lanschot family were also originally from Zundert. The Van Gogh brothers were born nearby, Vincent in 1853 and Theo in 1857. The house where they were born has since been demolished, but there is now a museum at the on the site. Their father was a

Dutch Reformed church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

pastor who preached at the on the square. Zadkine was commissioned to make the sculpture in 1963. He made at least four sculptures and busts of Vincent van Gogh between 1955 and 1964, including a statue of Vincent standing alone unveiled in 1961 in

Auvers-sur-Oise Auvers-sur-Oise (, literally ''Auvers on Oise'') is a commune in the department of Val-d'Oise, on the northwestern outskirts of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is associated with several famous artists, the most promine ...

, near Paris, where Vincent died in 1890 and where both brothers are buried in adjacent plots, and a bust of Vincent for the asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. In his earlier work, Zadkine had discussed the relationship of Vincent with his brother with Van Gogh expert Mark Tralbaut, and an initial design had the two men seated, but Zadkine quickly abandoned that concept; within a matter of days after the commission was granted, he worked up a plaster model of the men standing together. He presented the model to journalists in Zundert on 14 May 1963. The bronze sculpture was cast at the

Susse Frères The French firm Susse Frères manufactured a daguerreotype camera which was one of the first two photographic cameras ever sold to the public. The company was also engaged in the foundry business and owned a large foundry in Paris. History Produc ...

foundry in Paris. It bears the inscriptions "O Zadkine 1963" and "Susse Fondeur Paris". It was unveiled by Queen Juliana on 28 May 1964, in the presence of Zadkine, Mark Tralbaut, and the Mayor of Zundert, GJA Manders. Zadkine published a book describing the work, and a commemorative medal was made by .

References

Vincent & Theo van Gogh
Mens & Dier in Steen & Brons, vanderkrogt.net
Ossip ZADKINE - sculpture de Van Gogh
van-gogh.fr
Van Gogh and Zadkine in Auvers-sur-Oise: Is There Anything to See?
francerevisited.com, 14 June 2011
Beeld Van Vincent En Theo Van Gogh
Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed
Beeld Van Vincent En Theo Van Gogh
Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed
Neerlandia/Nederlands van Nu. Jaargang 112(2008)

Haffmans Antiek
Van Gogh Monument Zadkine
Van Gogh Brabant {{Vincent van Gogh Bronze sculptures in the Netherlands 1963 sculptures Zundert Sculptures by Ossip Zadkine Works about Vincent van Gogh Van Lanschot Kempen