Van Gogh Museum Acquires Rare Painting by French Artist Virginie Demont-Breton

The museum purchased the 19th century work, "L'homme est en mer" (The man is at sea), from a private collection in Dallas.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 12:56pm

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The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has acquired a 19th century painting by the French artist Virginie Demont-Breton, marking only the third work by a woman artist to be added to the esteemed collection. The monumental portrait, titled "L'homme est en mer" (The man is at sea), was purchased from a private collection in Dallas, Texas, where it had been held for the past 20 years.

Why it matters

The acquisition of Demont-Breton's work highlights the Van Gogh Museum's efforts to fill historical gaps in its collection, particularly when it comes to works by women artists. Demont-Breton was a celebrated French Realist painter who received recognition during her lifetime, including gold medals at the Paris World's Fairs in 1889 and 1900.

The details

The painting, which depicts a mother sitting by a fireplace gazing pensively as her young baby sleeps on her lap, was sold at TEFAF Maastricht for between €500,000 and €1 million ($543,000 and $1.1 million). The museum's curators had been searching for the piece for a long time, as Van Gogh himself had been inspired by the work and created his own copy of it.

  • The painting was created by Demont-Breton between 1887 and 1889.
  • The work was held in a private collection in Dallas for the past 20 years.
  • The sale of the painting at TEFAF Maastricht took place on the opening day of the art fair.

The players

Virginie Demont-Breton

A celebrated French Realist painter who presented her works outside competition at the Paris salons and won gold medals at the Paris World's Fairs in 1889 and 1900.

Van Gogh Museum

An art museum in Amsterdam that houses the largest collection of artworks by the Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh.

Gallery 19C

A gallery based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that represented the private collection that owned the Demont-Breton painting.

Eric Weider

The owner of Gallery 19C, who facilitated the sale of the Demont-Breton painting to the Van Gogh Museum.

Lisa Smit

The curator of paintings at the Van Gogh Museum.

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What they’re saying

“Van Gogh was a big fan of the work of Demont-Breton's father, Jules Breton. He would have seen a lot of sentiment in this work. It is heartfelt, it is truthful. You can immediately feel for the figure. It is a depiction of motherhood that is not idyllic.”

— Lisa Smit, Curator of Paintings, Van Gogh Museum (artnet.com)

“The collectors were 'receptive to the idea' of parting with the painting only on the condition that it would go to a public institution.”

— Eric Weider, Owner, Gallery 19C (artnet.com)

What’s next

The Van Gogh Museum plans to display the newly acquired Demont-Breton painting as part of its permanent collection, allowing visitors to appreciate the work of this celebrated French Realist artist.

The takeaway

The Van Gogh Museum's acquisition of Virginie Demont-Breton's painting highlights the institution's commitment to diversifying its collection and recognizing the contributions of women artists throughout history, who have often been overlooked or underrepresented in major museum collections.