The Monnaie de Paris dedicates an entire series to the extraordinary works of art that are either exhibited or created in France.

The well known Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh produced many masterpieces in his lifetime.

Between 1886 - 1889 he created a series of self-portraits which he is famous for today. Van Gogh made at least 27 self-portraits during this period. It was a technical exercise he did and worked out to be cost effective as he didn’t have to pay a model to pose for him.

The Monnaie de Paris celebrates the major Masterpieces of French Museums that have either been painted or showcased in France. Van Gogh’s Self Portrait is one of the celebrated pieces of artwork, and has been minted into a ¼oz gold proof coin.

Van Gogh’s widely appreciated self portrait in a close up is depicted on the obverse side, while the lower part of the coin features a view of the Orsay Museum which is seen from the Seine River, where this artwork is kept. Both the artists name and title of the artwork are inscribed on the left part of the frame together with the stamp “CHEFS D’ŒUVRE DES MUSÉES” and the year 2020.

The reverse side of the coin is common to the Museums Masterpieces series, it displays different views of the many French museums including Musee d’Orsay, the Louvre, a fresco of the Hotel Sale, Hotel Biron and Centre Pompidou. Appearing on this side is also the words "RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE".

Also in the Masterpieces of Museums collection is Hokusai’s The Wave ¼oz gold proof and the Picasso Guernica ¼oz gold proof coin.

Van Gogh made at least 27 self-portraits during this period.