"Take it away." "Is it 139?" "Now, Lot 43." "Quiet, please." "$5 million for it. $5 million. $5.5 million." "At five... $6 million. $6.5 million." "$7 million. $7.5 million." "$8 million. $8.5 million." "$9 million. $9.5 million." "$9.5 million. $10 million." "Going on?" "$10.5 million." "$11 million. $11.5 million." "$12 million." "$12.5 million bid here." "At $12.5 million." "At $12 million... $13 million." "$13 million." "One more, it's unlucky." "$13 million." "At $13 million now." "At $13 million." "Against your $13 million, the bid is here, $13.5 million." "At $13.5 million." "$13.5 million." "$14 million." "At $14 million." "$14 million." "$14.5 million." "$14.5 million. $15 million." "$15 million." "Do you always have to go so far on principle, Vincent?" "Or does it just come naturally?" "$14.5 million." "Do you want it at $15 million?" "$14.5 is your bid, then?" "$14.5 million." "I mean..." "Going on, either of you?" "...I understood why... you wanted to live like this  $14.5 million." "...when you were obeying the Commandments literally." "But now that you no longer want to do that..." "I don't understand." "I think if you do something, you should do it properly, don't you?" "Do what... properly?" "At $16 million." " I'm going to be a painter." " $16 million." "At $16 million. $16.5 million." "We're getting two, now, at $16.5 million." "What do you think of that?" "$17 million." "At $17 million." " Not much." " $17 million." "$18 million." "Well, it's better than that crap you sell at Goupil's, isn't it?" " It isn't all crap, as I'm sure you realize." " It is all crap." "You know we sell Millet, we sell Corot, we sell a lot of the artists..." " that you would admire..." " Millet, that's real art!" "What Millet?" "Millet is art, Millet is real life!" "But there's real life here!" "And there's God here!" "God is in everything, except in the Church!" "And except in our bloody family!" "... at $20 million." "At 20 million... $21... $20.5 million." "$21 million." "That's 21 million pounds." "At $21 million." "The money that Pa has been sending you... well, it's not his, you know!" "At $22 million. $22 million." "It's from me." "At $22 million... $22.5 million." "At 22.5 million pounds." "$22.5 million." "At 22.5 million pounds..." "Last time, at $22.5 million... at $22,500,000... for the last time..." " Yeah, that'll sell." " Yes." "That will sell, especially in that frame." "It looks very good." "You see here, that will sell." "Sir, there is someone for Mr. Theo Van Gogh." " He's in there somewhere." " I'll take care of it, if you don't mind." " I'm Rene Valadon." " I'm Andries Bonger." "No, I came to see Mr. Theo van Gogh." "I have an appointment." "It's under Gerard." "And if you look in the top right-hand corner..." "Go up the stairs and have a look at it." "Then it's..." " Uncle Cent." " Theo, where are you?" " I'm here." " Just do it a little later." "Yes, it's good." "Boussod and Valadon, they know what they're doing." "What?" "They haven't a clue." "You know, things are really changing." "They just don't know what's going on at all." " Lf you were still here, we could have set..." " No." "Nice of you to say so, but out of the question." "Aunt Cornelia wouldn't hear of it." "And the doctors..." "It's just them, they're so..." "Of course they are." "It's an art business." " Don't you forget it." " Good afternoon." " Not interrupting anything, I hope?" " No." "Hi, Andries." "This is Andries Bonger, Jan Bonger's nephew." "This is my Uncle Cent." "Bonger!" "I used to do my insurance through him." " You can do it with me now." "I'm in the firm." " Well done." "What brings you to Paris?" "Not that I need ask, of course." "I'm learning the ropes at the Paris office, sir." " You're working at the Paris office?" " Yes, for a while." " Where are you staying?" " He's staying at my apartment." "Two young Dutchmen on the loose in Paris, eh?" "It's not like that, sir." "We're very serious young Dutchmen." "While he's studying the art of business, I'm studying the business of art." "So I hear Vincent used to work here in the old days." "Work?" "Well, yes, he'd lounge around scowling at the paintings... and offending the clients." "You see, what he never understood was, it doesn't matter if the art is good..." " as long as it sells." " Yes, you're right, sir." "I'm not sure if his brother understands that, either." " What?" " Oh, it's a..." " How is Vincent's art?" " He's working really hard." "He's drawing peasants." "He dresses them up, pays them a little bit, and draws them." "Hello, Vincent, how are you?" "You know, Vincent, the problem is, with being an artist... it takes so long to learn the technique." "And when you've got it... you've probably forgotten what you wanted it for in the first place." "I won't forget." "Don't make art your religion, Vincent." "Why not?" "It's a better one than Christianity." "Why don't you go to a real art school?" "No, I don't want to, Mauve." "I'd rather pick things up from you." "Yes, well, that was the way in the old days... when every artist had his own apprentice." "Excuse me." "But now, with you living in the country, and Mauve up here..." "I'm going to move up here." "I can't live with my family anymore." " They despise me." " I don't believe that." "It's true." "And my father." "I don't get on with my father." "It's sheer hypocrisy, me going to church." "I won't do it." "Vincent, I think... you'd better marry a rich wife." "That's the only hope for an artist." "I don't understand... how anyone could leave you when you're pregnant." "None of my children had a father." "Children?" "I thought there was only one." "There was one before Marie and one after." "Both died." " I'm sorry." " It doesn't matter." "Best thing for them, if you ask me." "What have I got to offer them?" "I ought to go to Leyden." "What's in Leyden?" "Maternity hospital." "The doctor said..." "When I had the last one, the boy, he said:" ""Be sure and come back if you're pregnant again." ""There's something not right inside."" "I could take you to Leyden if you like." "Why would you want to do that?" "Because I can." " All right." " Good." "Can I have a drink?" "Yes." "It's your break, anyway." "Are you drawing me?" "Yes." "You're not allowed to!" "Why not?" "You can draw me if I model, not if I'm myself." "I'm sorry, I'll stop." "I must get on back." "It's raining." "Why don't you stay?" "Why don't you stay?" "I mean, live here?" "Rent's cheaper for two than it is for one." "And I could draw you." "You have to pay me to model." " I'm a prostitute woman." " I know." "Of course I'll pay you." "I've got this awful bloody temper, I warn you." "So have I." "And I want to bring Maria, my daughter." "She stays with me." "Of course you should bring Maria." "I could draw her, too." "All right, I'm staying." " You will?" " Yeah." "That's good." " Are you drawing me again?" " I'm not, I'm drawing this pipe... the egg, bottle, the candle, the pot, cheese... and not very well." " Theo." " Hello, Andries." "Who is that?" "Nobody." "Well, he's just a sort of friend." "Andries." " He sounds German, too." " Dutch." "He's Dutch." "I'm Dutch, not German." "It doesn't matter." "He used to live with me." "Apartment." " Who do you live with now?" " No one." "I live on my own." "I know someone who wants to live with you." "So what about your wedding in London?" "When is it going to be?" "What do you laugh at?" "Come on, why do you laugh?" "I'm not laughing." "Well, I am laughing." "Yes, tell me." " I was just thinking about something." " About what?" " About a painting." " Picture painting?" "Yeah, a picture painting." "What about it?" "I saw it years ago." "I always think about it." "I was about 17... and it was a painting of a beautiful woman... in a room, in a boudoir." "She's sitting on a divan... and she's stroking her hair." "And I used to think... if I could just walk into the painting... and shut the door..." "I could just stay there forever." "It's so real." "Very clever." "Look at the ships." "It's amazing." "One day you'll be able to paint a ship like that." " I don't know, I hope so." " I'm sure." "Look at this." "He's just a man, and he painted all this." "No, he did it with his wife, and his friends." "A woman?" "Painting?" "I mean, but why?" "All you have to do is go outside, there's the real thing." "That's what he did." "Went outside, saw this." "This is his perception of reality." "And he painted this..." " and he fixed it." " Be here as long as this place is." "She thought it was the beach." "Well, that's art." "I'll take you to Paris." "If you want to piss on art..." "I'll take you there, where my brother works." "There's some paintings there." "You can piss all over them." "...painted in 1859... and it's a particularly fine example, I think, of his work." "You can see the influence of the Turkish and Egyptian styles upon it." "And it's..." "No?" "Well, there's Gerome here... which may be more to your taste." "Don't look at that, please." "I'll let my colleague Andre tell you about this one." "Good afternoon." "Well, ladies and gentlemen... it's a very interesting and very important painting." "The Fighting Cocks by Jean-Leon Gerome." "Theo, are you going?" " Yes, I'm going to lunch." "It's my lunch hour." " We would like to talk to you, please." "It's okay, Theo." "I'll wait here." "Sit down." "Rene and I have been considering the future of the company." "We know you don't really like it here." "It's not that I don't like it here." "It's just that I feel..." "What you feel is not important to us." " Is it, Rene?" " No, it isn't." "Are you trying to dismiss..." "Will you get to the point, please?" "More and more galleries are opening in Montmartre." "It's a slightly different market, of course." "We think any new branch should concentrate on paintings." "Given your special interest in that area..." "It would be an experiment." "Are you saying that I could run my own gallery?" "Does it interest you?" "I think I should think about it." "I'll think about it, then." " Afternoon." " Good afternoon." "Mauve, hello!" "How are you, Mauve?" "I've been painting, Mauve." "I want you to come and see my work." "Every time I come see you, you're never in." "I'm not in to you ever again." "And I'm not interested in your paintings as long as you're with that woman." " Come on, Maria." " How's your wife, Mauve?" "How's Jet?" "She couldn't make it?" "I see you've got your whore with you." "Have you completely lost your mind?" "Do you know the disgrace you bring to your family?" "She may be a prostitute but she's pregnant, and I love her." "I thought you'd been misunderstood because you're an artist." "Aren't we supposed to care?" "Isn't that what it's about?" " You're vicious." "You're venomous." " I don't know." "He's a bastard." " And you look like a workman." " I am a workman." " Yes, I can see that." " I'm a painter." " What do you know about painting?" " Vincent, stop that." "You're mad!" "God help you, Vincent!" "I thought you were the maid." "Sien!" "Quick, put all this stuff together." "Come on." "Let's go." "We'll be late, come on." "Vincent!" "My baby's coming." "It doesn't matter." "So I'm going to explain to you once more." "The reason why we Dutch boys like the French girls so much is, one..." "No, I'm going to explain to you." "Don't be so eager." " Theo." " What?" " Are you coming tonight or not?" " No, I'm not going out." "You're a bore." "So, listen..." "I don't want to go out, do you?" "This is disgusting." "Why does he draw that?" "That's what he sees." "Anyway... he's going to be painting in oils soon." "Maria, leave the baby and do the potatoes." "Sien, the baby's crying." "There." "Doesn't take much." "Look what I've got." "My brother, Uncle Theo... sent me some paints." " Where did you get the money?" " I earned it." "How?" "What do you expect me to do all day?" "Clean the house?" "Do the potatoes?" "That's fun." "I'm laughing... while you're fiddling with your paints." "Maria, hurry up before it starts raining." "It doesn't work." "It never was going to." "You're a decent man and I'm not a decent woman, and that's that." "I don't know what you're talking about half the time." "No." "Did you see the doctors?" "What do they say?" "What do they say?" "The usual thing." "They said it was me again?" "No." "They said I should sleep on my own for a few months." "And who am I going to sleep with?" "The door is shut!" "When the door is shut, stay out!" "Poussin, get out of here." "Come here." "Where are you going?" "We're going to Saint Germain to see the new Negroes everyone's talking about." "Are you coming or not, poussin?" "Come." " Theo, are you coming?" " No!" "I'm going!" " Hurry up, then." " What do you mean, you're going?" "I'm not supposed to sleep with you anymore, so I can't stay here anymore." "So you don't ask any questions." "You wanted to change my life." "Well, Vincent, you can mind your own business." "My life is all right." "Look at me." "Christ." "I hate this place." "You know yourself it's much more complicated than that." "The art world." "I mean... the stuff we're selling in the gallery..." "It's very difficult." "Maybe I should stop painting, then." " I can't if you don't believe in me." " I do believe in you." "But I just can't force people to buy what they don't want, that's all." "I keep forgetting you're a businessman." "I don't own the gallery." "I don't even run the gallery." "I work there." "And Boussod and Valadon would fire me if I tried to show your work in their gallery." "Your generosity is killing me, Theo." " I'm coming to Paris." " What?" "I really don't think you're ready." " When do you think I'm ready, then?" " I don't know." "Never, probably." "Not yet." "I want to make a business arrangement with you." "Every month when you send me my allowance..." "I'll send you all the paintings that I've done." "That way when people ask me, do I paint for money..." "I can honestly say yes." "Oh, for Christ's sake!" "What about me?" "Come in, Andries, please." "So, Theo, I would like you to meet my sister, Jo." "Jo, this is Theo van Gogh." " How do you do?" "Nice to meet you." " Nice to meet you." "Shall I take your coat?" "I'm sorry the place is a bit untidy, but I wasn't expecting you so soon." "I thought you said..." "This is new, isn't it, Theo?" "It looks like Montmartre to me." " Yes, it's Sisley." " No, it's not Sicily, this is Montmartre." "No, the painter is Sisley." "The place is Montmartre." " Oh, the painter is..." " Sit down, please." " Would you like a drink?" " Yes, please." "Jo, what do you think of him?" "With Paris, it should be champagne... but I've only got sherry." " To..." " Paris." " So, Andries..." " I used to live here." "Well, live here..." "I spent many a night here, that's for sure." "Beautiful pictures." "They're all for sale." "I'm just a businessman." "Everything on these walls is for sale." "You must know, Jo, that Theo's uncles are art dealers." "You can make quite a lot of money from it, you see." "Yes, well, I don't make quite a lot of money from it, Andries." "Virtually nothing." " You sell them, you don't paint them?" " That's right." "My brother is a painter." "That's one of his there." " He's really Dutch." " You recognize that?" "We Dutch always recognize each other." "I think I'm going to see what the old bedroom is like." "If you'll excuse me?" " Andries, my brother..." " Andries tells me..." " Go ahead, please." " No, thank you." " Do you like the paintings?" " Yes, very much." " Do you sell many paintings?" " Yes, I do." "Actually, no, I don't." "Well, yes, I do, and I don't." "I mean, I sell a lot of paintings that I don't like very much... and I don't sell very many paintings that I do like very much." "You see?" " Could you say that again?" " Yes." "No, I don't think I can, actually." "Did you say this was your first time in Paris?" " Yes, it's my first time in Paris." " First time in Paris." " Do you mind if I smoke?" " No, I don't mind at all." "They're Turkish." "What are you doing here?" "No one ever comes back after lunch, you know that?" "Emile Bernard." " What's your name?" " Vincent." "Vincent what?" "That's a Mauve." "Anton Mauve." " I met his wife once." " She's my cousin." " She's very rich." " And that's Mauve also." "Not very interesting." "Christian, careful with that." "The middle one needs to be..." "Yes." "That's a Cezanne." "Daniel, this Cezanne has to go upstairs." " Be careful, Andries." " It was him." "Attention." "Upstairs." "Here." "Thanks, Daniel." "Well?" " What do you think?" " I can understand that one." "So are you going to ask her then?" " Who am I going to ask?" " Bonger." "Johanna Bonger?" "What am I going to ask Johanna Bonger?" "What?" "Tell me." "To marry you." "I'm not going to ask her to marry me." "I would like to ask her, but I can't." "You can't marry her because you have syphilis... and you're the poorest man I've ever met in my entire life." "Why?" "Why haven't I got any money?" "Because I take every penny you ever earn?" "Yes." "Did Pa ever tell you how much Uncle Cent sold Goupil's for?" "Did he tell you?" " He owns half of France, doesn't he?" " Yeah." "I should speak to him." "You know, I've worked it all out." "I mean, it's so sensible." "In two years time, anybody will have their investment back." "More than have it back, they'll be in profit." "In three years they'll be in a lot of profit." "In four years..." "You should go and see him." "I should go and speak to him." "When are you coming to Paris next?" "I'm not sure I have a reason to." " To visit your brother." " My brother?" "Why did you come to Amsterdam this time?" "To visit your uncle?" "Yes." "And I hoped I might bump into you." "Which you did." "So here we are." "Yes, here we are." "Oh, God." "It's so aggravating... working for people who only care about money." "You see, I have my own tastes, and I have to be my own man." "For all sorts of reasons." "Am I one of those reasons?" "I'm 30, you know." "My health..." " is a problem." " Don't you have a good doctor?" "I have syphilis." "I know." "My brother told me." "Colors, light, shadows..." "Well, there are laws, you know." "Like Newton's theory of colors..." " and chromatism..." " "Isms," "isms."" "Every time I come to Paris, there's another "ism."" "Impressionism, neo-impressionism, what's this stuff called, pointillism?" "You know that Seurat is putting scientific over..." " Seurat." " Yes, he's a fabulous painter." "Not as good as some painters around here." "Art is about emotion." "It's not about ideas." "I agree, but emotion is not enough." "I tried to find all the mistakes we made in '70 in the Commune." " I thought about it in my jail." " Well, this is the jail." "I wait two years." "We were right." "Our emotions were right." "We thought we could change the world just because we wanted to." " You were very young." " Yes." " And impulsive." " What happened?" "Well, now I know why we failed." "We failed because we were not probably scientific." "I'm not sure about that." "Why are you not sure about that?" "I'm sure about that." "Listen, we invented all this..." " And Pissarro is not good?" " No." "Careful, you're becoming emotional." "I want to know what's been going on here when I've been away." "Look, what is the point of Paris?" "What is the whole point of Paris?" "It's to talk to people, it's to meet people, it's to talk to other artists!" "I think you..." "You better go to bed." "And don't you tell me there's no market for my work!" "It's your job to make a market!" "If you can sell Corot, you can damn well sell me!" "What are you actually doing..." " to sell my paintings?" " You don't tell me what my job is!" "I'm doing everything I can to sell your paintings." "And all I ask of you is that when I come home... it's a home." "And how is the little Dutch dolly, then?" "Has the maid been?" "I sacked her." "You what?" "I sacked her!" "I needed the money to buy paints." "And these I found these." "I had to buy these." "You had to buy these?" "We've got 100 Japanese prints already!" "You should have left me more money." "I was away for 10 days!" "What'd she say?" "You did ask her, didn't you?" " Didn't you?" " No!" "Why not?" "How could I?" "It's still just us, then?" "I've got a Dutchman." "Same old stuff they were doing 10 years ago?" " No, he really understood impressionists." " Let me show you." "What do you think?" "I'm pretty." "You look pretty." " He's here." " Vincent." "I want to introduce you to a friend of mine." "Paul Gauguin, this is Vincent van Gogh." "I'm very pleased to meet you." "I like your paintings very much." "Where have you seen it?" " Emile Bernard showed me some..." " Yes." "...and there were some here, weren't there?" " Yes." "Oh, Emile." "He didn't see the stuff I did in Martinique." "Look at this one." "Not bad." "One yellow..." " Only Pissarro did it first." " I love Pissarro." " My brother has two..." " No, three of them." "Three in his gallery." "Theo van Gogh, Vincent's brother." "He's an art dealer." "I like these." "The women are so tender..." " and savage." " I'm savage myself." "I hate this ghastly, puritan, missionary North." "Nudity, flesh, sunlight." "That's what I was born for." "When I was a child in Peru, I saw..." " In Peru?" " Yes." " I grew up in Lima." " You never told me that before." "My ancestors were viceroys." "Borgias of Aragon." "The sun." "Half the people go around naked all the time, you know." "That's why I couldn't use solid colors." "How are you feeling?" " Are you getting any better?" " Yeah." "He says I'll be about a year before I..." "Well, it takes a year." "I sold a Pissarro, you know." "Did I tell you?" "That's good." "You think you could sell a Gauguin?" "I'm trying." "He's completely broke, you know." "You know what he told me?" "He told me that last winter, he had to work... cleaning toilets at that geriatric hospital." "You know, big geriatric hospital down at the Gare du Nord?" "I can just see him." "You shouldn't believe everything Gauguin says." "Oh, really?" "I think I'm going to go south." " Where?" " Provence." "Alone?" "No, Paul said he might come with me." "Gauguin?" "Will you send me my allowance, as before?" "Oh, yes." "Do you think you could spare a little extra for Gauguin?" "No." "I mean..." "I can barely afford one." "I don't think you realize..." "Are you saving for a wedding?" "Everything is all right?" "Everything's all right." "Is your husband here?" " No." " Serve me a drink." "You look so tired." " What have you been doing?" " I've been trying to paint." "It's going to rain tomorrow." "I'll have to paint indoors, then." "Do you want to sit for me?" "Who'd want to look at a picture of me?" "Coffee for him, please." "Hello." "Mind if I join you?" "I'm Vincent." "I used to be a Dutch painter." "Now I'm a French painter." "Your turn." "Who's winning?" "Christ the sower..." "Christ the son." "He sees Christ in everything." "We're a very religious family, you know." "Yes, they're all wonderful." "You see, to me, it's the justification of... everything." "Here we are." "He says that's him in the South." "A simple Japanese monk... worshipping the eternal Buddha." "Yes, he certainly looks Japanese." "Oh, no, he says he is a monk down there." "Well, the sort that goes to the brothel twice a week." "You could go." "Haven't got the fare to go to Arles." "That's a shame... because I know he'd like to have you there." "And he said he's a great admirer of your work." "You know, you're the only other person he's ever dedicated a painting to." "Our uncle died just a few weeks ago." "He left a bit of money." "Not much." "You could have it." "It would pay your fare." "Gauguin." "No." "There's a room for you." " Upstairs?" " Yes." " Two floors." " Two floors." " What are these?" " That is for fencing." " It's just to keep in shape while I'm here." " Right." "This is mine." "This is for me." "Where is your studio?" "This is very... beautiful." "And where do the rats live?" "What sort of paint can you get here?" "It's shit, really." "Theo sends mine from Paris." "You're lucky to have Theo as a brother." "This is far too bourgeois." "We'll use the cheapest paint." "Yellow is a bit bourgeois." "What does the lady represent?" "What is she doing?" "Screaming for the art critics to rescue her." "I'm not sure about this." "This is not art." " They look like posters, I think." " That's what they call art." "Look at these colors." "Just recently I've been to Buenos Aires, South America." "There is something unbelievable I'm going to tell you." "Oh, really?" "What is it?" "Paintings on black and dark blue velvet." " Animals." "Really fantastic." "Really smashing." " That sounds like a new movement." "That's really the future." "Cockatoos, parrots, tigers, painted on velvet." " Wonderful." " That's the new movement." "Monsieur du Plantier!" "Given the depth of your feeling... for this new South American painting on velvet... maybe you'd like to take a walk down to the Bureau Maritime... and buy yourself four tickets back to Buenos Aires... and buy more of it." "Five tickets, actually." "Good day to you." "Sir!" "Good day to you!" " Come on, mes amis." " Don't." "There's the mayor." "Viviane, this is Paul." "Hello, Paul, nice meeting you." " He's a painter." " Great." "Which is the youngest?" "Cathy." "She's right there." " Where, there?" " Yeah, it's the one with the..." "Right there." "That's it." "You." "I'll read that letter." "Thank you, Viviane." "Thank you, Cezanne." "He was a very rich man." "He was a stockbroker, and he sold everything." "Paintings..." "He sold everything, because he thinks you have to be poor to paint." "I don't know why we... bother to do this." "I think I'm completely impotent by now."