Vincent Van Gogh – The Sultan of Morocco

This painting was sold to my mother. If a piece of history like this was sold to your mother, wouldn't you stand up for it, too?

Let me be clear: I don't write these newsletters to authenticate or sell this artwork. In fact, this painting is no longer in our possession. My gift was having the opportunity to stand in front of it, photograph it, and fight for it.

This isn't a case of a painting stolen from a gallery wall—it was discarded by an emotionally broken billionaire for two dollars at a flea market. This is the exact cultural heritage I was speaking about in yesterday's newsletter—neglected, discarded, and ignored by the very people claiming to protect it. My job is to be the voice of this story, not an art broker looking for a payout. Most of these masterworks are already out there, scattered among the public.

Make no mistake: that two-dollar price tag wasn't an accident. He was far too smart for that. Charging two dollars was a deliberate, legal maneuver designed to establish an official transaction—creating a lawful bill of sale while treating priceless masterworks like discarded pocket change.

Happy art hunting!

Right now, you are watching a corrupt media apparatus choose a comfortable, "kind lie" over an unkind truth. They would rather protect the scripted performance of Anthony Amore and the establishment gatekeepers than confront the hard, physical evidence left behind by a billionaire.

Because that billionaire is from one of America's most powerful families. That is what allowed him to operate with impunity for so long. If I were reporting this about anyone who wasn't from a billionaire family, this story would have been front-page news 35 years ago.

I don't give up because that billionaire family shouldn't wield such uninhibited power. Because my mother is viewed as a "nobody" and they are wealthy, they get a completely different set of rules than the rest of us.

You are watching corruption in real time, folks.

Powerful entities are staring at this exact same ledger in total paralysis, terrified of what happens when the truth finally breaks the surface. Let me make one thing clear: I am not stopping until I break that surface.

When I was nine years old, I drowned in a car crash. I was pronounced dead after a man named Fred pulled me from that canal and performed CPR, bringing me back to life. When I say I have persistence, I mean it—I was given a second chance at life that most people never get. I refuse to sit back and let institutional corruption win over my mother, my family, and this journey.

Let's show them. Share these newsletters (or the podcast) with everyone you know, get the word out—start the buzz. End the corruption placed on the nobodies while the somebodies write their own rules.

The Historical Record Cannot Be Erased

Let's look at the actual math of the Van Gogh transactions.

Before you search your browser, save yourself the time: Vincent van Gogh never visited Morocco. But the Sultan did travel.

The painting depicts a man who is clearly traveling—there is a tree behind him, a mountain off in the distance, and it is evening. In fact, Belgian painter Théo van Rysselberghe painted this exact same Sultan—and Van Gogh traveled alongside him.

Moulay-Hassan I

It is believed this is a painting of Moulay-Hassan I (born in 1831; eldest son of Sultan Sid-Muley Mohamed), the Sultan of Morocco during van Gogh's painting career. He ascended to the throne in 1873 and died in 1894, only a couple of years after van Gogh's own death.

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Reasons Vincent van Gogh could have painted this Sultan:

If this was painted by van Gogh, his painting time period was 1880 to 1890. The age of the Sultan would be 49 to 59 years old (matching the age of the man in the painting).
The man in the painting bears a strong resemblance to images found online of Moulay-Hassan I (as shown in the photos above).
The Sultan died in 1894, only four years after van Gogh's death.
Van Gogh liked to paint a night sky in the background.
The painting's style appears to be inspired by Eugène Delacroix, who also painted a prior Sultan of Morocco in 1845.
- Vincent van Gogh was deeply inspired by Eugène Delacroix, more about that below.

The Influence of Theo van Rysselberghe and Eugène Delacroix

According to Eugène Delacroix's Wikipedia page, Theo van Rysselberghe (1862-1926) was influenced by Eugene Delacroix. Rysselberghe only painted Moroccan paintings, he even did a drawing of the same Sultan of Morocco (Moulay-Hassan I) in 1887.

Two direct quotes from Rysselberghe's Wikipedia page are:
"In December 1887 he was invited, together with Edmond Picard, to accompany a Belgian economic delegation to Meknès, Morocco. During these three months he made many color pencil sketches. He also drew a portrait of the Sultan Hassan I."

"In Paris he had a meeting with Theo van Gogh and managed thus to invite Vincent van Gogh to the next exhibition in Brussels. That is where van Gogh sold Vigne Rouge in Montmajour to Anna Boch, the only painting van Gogh ever sold."

This a painting by Rysselberghe, titled: Maria Sethe at the Harmonium, 1891. This painting has similar colortones (purple and burgundy) as the van Gogh painting of the Sultan of Morocco. van Gogh could have borrowed paint from Rysselberghe. THE CURTAINS ARE THE SAME COLORS USED IN THE VAN GOGH BELOW.

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I asked the AI's opinion on the colors between the 2 paintings above - "The color alignment here is unmistakable. The specific, deep burgundy and plum tones in Théo van Rysselberghe’s studio curtains map perfectly onto the traveler’s cloak and background elements of the Sultan portrait. This isn't a generic coincidence; it provides a direct, visible signature of shared studio resources and an intersecting creative timeline."

This Vincent van Gogh painting was sold by Mr. Koch to Mary in 1992. This painting is mentioned several times, as seen in the notes written on Koch's visits with Mary.
Note 1 | Note 2 | Note 3 | Note 4 - To view all notes (click here)

This painting has had restoration work done at some point. As seen under a black light. One would think restoration work would only be invested into a painting of value.

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Forensic Light Split: Under UV inspection, only the specific areas of restoration light up. The rest of the underlying paint remains dark, physically proving the baseline canvas predates the modern touch-ups and carries the signature of an authentic historical artifact.
PLUS: Frederick R. Koch sold this to my mother—he collected Van Goghs, and so did William Koch.

A Statement of Standing

Let’s be very clear: I am NOT an armchair detective. I am a whistleblower with first-hand art encounters from 1991 and 1992 involving my mother. Art encounters 45 minutes from Palm Beach. A whistleblower's story isn't public knowledge—that is why they are called a whistleblower. I am proud to stand up for the truth that everyone else is too afraid to touch.

The Nobody is still sending the data. The Nobody is still standing.

Standing with Mary. Standing with Isabella. Standing for Boston. Where do you stand?

Thank you,
Suzanne Kenney - daughter, mother, grandmother
Web Developer (Websites by Suzanne), Book Author (Crime & Canvas), Podcaster (Crime & Canvas Podcast), Blogger, TheArtworkStory.com