British collectors of van Gogh.(Vincent van Gogh)(Brief article)

The British public first encountered Vincent van Gogh at Manet and the Post-Impressionists, an exhibition organized by Roger Fry and held at the Grafton Galleries in 1910. Reaction to the show could be summarized by the newspaper headline on one of the reviews: "Maniacs or Pioneers?" But as early as 1896, seven works had been acquired by knowledgeable British collectors with avant-garde tastes. The first work by van Gogh to enter a public collection was A Wheatfield, with Cypresses of 1889, bought by the National Gallery, Millbank (later the Tate Gallery) in October 1923 for [pounds sterling]3,300. A month later, the museum acquired two other works: Portrait of Joseph Roulin of 1889 for [pounds sterling]909 and Van Gogh's Chair of 1888 for [pounds sterling]696. The trustees of the museum had second thoughts about the portrait and returned it. The following year it ...