The painting, held at the Porczyński Gallery in the Polish capital, dates back to 1883. It has undergone meticulous examination and conservation.
After years of research, the authenticity of the painting has now been confirmed as a work by van Gogh.
Until recently, van Gogh's works could primarily be viewed outside of Poland.
Starting April 26, Farmhouses Among Trees will be exhibited at the John Paul II and Cardinal Wyszyński Museum in Warsaw's Wilanów district, bringing a piece of the distinguished artist's early career closer to Polish audiences.
Farmhouses Among Trees, created in Nuenen, near Eindhoven, represents van Gogh's work about five years before his more famous pieces, such as Sunflowers or The Bedroom at Arles.
Van Gogh was a prolific artist. His output totals some 2,100 works, around 860 of which are oil paintings. He created most of them in the last two years of his short life.
This makes Farmhouses Among Trees all the more interesting as it comes from an earlier period.
The painting's journey through various owners and locations over the years, often with its value unrecognized, mirrors the broader story of van Gogh's posthumous fame.
Initially passed between collectors in Belgium and Switzerland, the artwork finally arrived in Poland in the 1980s and has been with the John Paul II and Cardinal Wyszyński Museum since 2020.
The authenticity of Farmhouses Among Trees had been uncertain due to the frequent occurrence of van Gogh forgeries, driven by his paintings' considerable value.
However, extensive and detailed analyses conducted by specialists at the Warsaw National Museum's Laboratory of Analysis and Non-Destructive Investigation of Heritage Objects, in collaboration with experts from the renowned Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, have now confirmed its genuineness.
The studies employed advanced techniques and have proven the work as an early piece by van Gogh.
Julio del Hoyo, head of the laboratory, described some of the meticulous detective work that went into the verification process: "We conducted a detailed analysis of the pigments used in the work. These pigments not only corresponded to those described by van Gogh in letters to his brother but were also consistent with materials he used in other works from that period."
In addition to the scientific examination, the painting underwent a complex conservation process. This included cleaning the canvas, reinforcing its oak panel base, and framing it with a new, climate-controlled frame to ensure its preservation.
Katarzyna Novljaković, head of the conservation studio at the Princes Czartoryski Museum in Kraków, southern Poland, said that the frame's design specifically enhances the early period of van Gogh's creativity and ensures the safe display of this valuable piece.
(rt/gs)
Source: rmf24.pl