Eugne Boch

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Belgian painter, who was the younger brother of painter Anna Boch, a founding member of Les XX. Eugène Boch supported artists of talent, but without money, including Émile Bernard, whom he met at the Atelier Cormon, and Paul Gauguin. Or he exchanged works, as with Vincent van Gogh. Thus little by little, an important collection of contemporary art came together. Besides his own portrait Eugène Boch owned a second van Gogh painting. Like his sister Anna, Eugène Boch spent a large part of the funds, which they owed to their father's, Victor Boch, business success, on promoting other artists. They bought pictures from virtually all leading contemporaries of their time, the majority of whom were also their friends. Upon Eugène Boch's death on 3 January 1941, he bequeathed The Poet – that is Van Gogh's title for his portrait of Eugène Boch, which Boch received from Johanna van Gogh-Bonger in accordance to the last will of Vincent and Theo – to the Louvre. Today the painting can be seen in the Paris Musee d'Orsay. Link to Wikipedia biography