The Only Painting Van Gogh Sold in his Lifetime

Contrary to popular belief, Van Gogh did sell one painting during his lifetime. It was exhibited in Brussels in 1890 and sold for 400 francs (equal to about $1,000-1,050 today) to Anna Boch, an impressionist painter and friend of Van Gogh’s. The painting, Red Vineyard at Arles,now hangs in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.

Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo from Arles and described the scene he subsequently painted: "... we saw a red vineyard, all red like red wine. In the distance it turned to yellow, and then a green sky with the sun, the earth after the rain violet, sparkling yellow here and there where it caught the reflection of the setting sun."

Red Vineyard at Arles (1888) Oil on Burlap