Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Descriptive Tour on Zoom

The May descriptive tour will explore the current Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) exhibition Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits. The artist Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) once wrote, “What I’m most passionate about…is the portrait, the modern portrait.” This passion flourished between 1888 and 1889 when, during his stay in Arles, in the South of France, the artist created a number of portraits of a neighboring family - the postman Joseph Roulin; his wife, Augustine; and their three children: Armand, Camille, and Marcelle. Van Gogh’s tender relationship with the postman and his family, and his groundbreaking portrayals of them, are at the heart of this exhibition, which is the first dedicated to the Roulin portraits and the deep bonds of friendship between the artist and this family. Read more about the exhibit.

The MFA will explore the Roulin portraits in the exhibition and the written correspondence between Joseph Roulin, van Gogh, and his brother, Theo van Gogh.