In 1926, upon the demise of his mother Johanna Van Gogh-Bonger, Vincent Willem Van Gogh, son of the artist's brother Theo Van Gogh, inherited the bulk of his uncle's oeuvre. Johanna dedicated her life to the administration and promotion of Vincent's artwork after the deaths of both Vincent and Theo. Her relentless efforts managing the collection of over 600 paintings and drawings greatly advanced Vincent's reputation and recognition as a brilliant artist.

Carrying on his mother's work, Vincent Van Gogh's nephew and namesake managed the collection for over thirty-five years until ownership passed to the hands of the Dutch government in 1962. The nephew occasionally lent Van Gogh's works for exhibition purposes, and it was in this context that officials from the Art Institute of Chicago took up correspondence with him in the 1940s in preparation for a retrospective exhibition of the artist's works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago set for spring of 1950.

The Art Institute of Chicago's Public Relations Counsel at the time was Peter Pollack, a trained photographer. Working with the Art Institute's Director Daniel Catton Rich, the museum representatives negotiated at length with Vincent Willem to borrow works to display at the forthcoming exhibition. Through this exchange, Peter Pollack and Vincent Willem became fast friends, and the artist's nephew took Pollack to various sites in France and the Netherlands where his uncle had painted. Peter Pollack's remarkable work offers a unique glimpse into the artist's life seen through the lens of the photographer.

1. Vincent Van Gogh. Complete Letters: with Reproductions of all the Drawings in the Correspondence, vol. 1. Greenwich, Conn.: New York Graphic Society, 1958.
2. Daniel Catton Rich. Photograph. ca. 1945.
3. Peter Pollack on a Haystack. Photograph. 1949.
4. Vincent Willem Van Gogh. Postcards to Peter Pollack. 1950, 1951, 1955, 1961.
5. Peter Pollack. At Home with Van Gogh's Works. Photograph. 1949.
6. Peter Pollack. The Nephew Holding his Uncle's Self-Portrait. Photograph. 1949.