Vincent van Gogh, letter to Émile Bernard, Arles, 25 September 1888, Letter 16, page 1
Thaw Collection, given in honor of Charles E. Pierce, Jr., 2007
My dear old Bernard.
Thanks for your letter, but what surprises me a little is to hear you say, "Oh, no way of doing
Gauguin's portrait!" Why no way? That's all rubbish. But I'm not pressing the point, and so we categorically
won't mention that exchange any more. So even Gauguin, for his own part, hasn't even
thought of doing yours. Here you have portraitists, living for so long side by side and they don't
agree on posing for each other and they'll separate without having portrayed each other. Well! I'm
not pressing the point. And I repeat, there's no longer a question of an exchange.
So I really hope to do your portrait and Gauguin's myself one day, the first time we get together.
Which is bound to happen.
© 2007 Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam