Van Gogh's famous photo turned out to be a portrait of his brother | The society

One of only two existing photographs of Vincent Van Gogh who would have always depicted the famous Dutch painter, turns out to be a portrait of his brother, revealed the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam this Thursday.

"A photograph that we always badume to represent Vincent Van Gogh, then 13 years old, turns out to be the portrait of his brother Theo Van Gogh at 15," said the museum in a statement, after having unveiled the findings of a thorough and unpublished study of photography.

The black and white photo shows a young man with curly hair and clear eyes. It was one of only two known portraits of the painter and is found in many biographies.

The museum notes that the two brothers were very similar, but Theo was distinguished by his delicate features and his "very clear eyes", like those of the young man in the picture. "Thanks to this discovery, we lost an illusion and won the portrait of Theo" said museum director Axel Ruger.

The picture, taken by photographer Balduin Schwarz, appears for the first time at an exhibition organized in 1957 by a Belgian researcher who identifies it in a catalog entitled " Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh "(circa 1886). "

Born in 1853, Vincent Van Gogh, famous for his brightly colored self-portraits, was particularly reluctant to be photographed.In the only other photograph of him, he was 19.