Stories And Mysteries

Some sketches of Vincent have got a strange, mysterious story ...

Minus Oostrijck « enlarge »

As far as we know there are no sketches from Vincent at Etten anymore. In 1926 it was different: a certain mr Stokvis describes how mr Dijkman, the clergyman at Etten at that moment shows him a map of the Holy Land made by Vincent as a present to his father in 1877. The map was hanging in the vestry of the church. The same map has been described in 1935 by clergyman mr. Aalders: " ... a map of Palestina, drawn by Vincent and mentioned in his letter from 18th february 1878: " ... the map of the Holy Land, I made for Dad's birthday with red crayon on solid brown paper."." The birthday of Father van Gogh was on february 8th. The map has disappeared and has never been found anymore ...

One particular drawing, made by Vincent at Etten has been a hot item for several years: It is a drawing hidden by mr. Minus Oostrijk until his death. Postman Minus Oostrijk, a son of Joh. Oostrijk who was an elder at the time of clergyman van Gogh, had two drawings of Vincent: one of the windmill at the Roosendaalseweg, and one of the Stationsstraat. Minus lent the drawing of the mill out to a friendly lady from Amsterdam, who wanted to expose the drawing. Minus never saw this drawing back ... From that time he kept the other drawing hidden and showed it to nobody anymore.

The sketch of the lane with pollard willows « enlarge »

People who had seen the drawing earlier were Co Gobbens, a hobbyist painter from Etten and the professional painter Jan Theuns from Breda. Gobbens told the drawing had been damaged by water and that the perspective used was not quite well. Theuns copied the drawing from his memory: a little lane with pollard-willows with a road-sweeper and other figures. Minus never showed his drawing anymore to anyone. When he died in 1956 he took the secret of the place where he kept the drawing into his grave. In 1957 there was a discovery: it appeared the drawing was kept by Minus' neighbour Jan de Visser. Already in 1932 Minus gave the drawing to him as a payment for all the meals he got from the de Visser family. The newspapers wrote there were even three drawings kept by De Visser: one of "de Baai", one of a portrait of a woman and one landscape in winter. De Visser showed the painting to nobody, but he made clear that he wanted to sell the drawing to the highest bidder.

In 1959 J.van Esch discovered in an article written by the former clergyman of Etten mr. L. Aalders a description and a photograph (!) of a drawing:

"And then there is a beautiful sketch of the Stationsweg at Etten. A member of the parish had it in his possession and allowed me to make this photograph. I thank him very much. Probably the drawing has been made in 1881 and was given by Vincent himself to one of the elders of his father."
This could be the drawing Minus Oostrijk, son of an elder of clergyman van Gogh, had hidden.

Cees Maas, a journalist of newspaper De Stem tells the whole story in the paper of february 6th 1988: it appears to be the drawing of Minus, the sketch Clergyman Aaalders describes. Jan de Visser sells in 1960 the drawing to a Swiss collector F. Nathan. In 1964 Nathan sells the drawing to R. Lehman at New York. The Lehman heirs sell in 1969 the drawing to the Metropolitan Museum at New York (http://www.metmuseum.org), which has the drawing still in her collection nowadays.

The appreciation of the pieces of art, made by van Gogh have been changed thoroughly: the antique dealer Jan Couvreur from Breda was not able to sell Vincents drawings to anyone at a fair price. Some sketches he sold for 5 cents, the more beautiful drawings were sold for ten cents, and the top of the bill of the sketches were sold for a price of 25 cents!!!! With a self-portrait of Vincent Couvreur lightened his stove. Coffee-house Ruedisueli bought lots of drawings from Couvreur and gave them away as a present to anyone who bought a glass of beer ... In the house of a waiter of the Ruedisueli pub a painting of van Gogh was discovered stuck on the door of one of the rooms. The painting has been sold, including the door!