Jo van Gogh-Bonger: the woman who made Vincent world famous

Palinurus

The Living Force
Recently (Published April 14, 2021 - Updated April 16, 2021), the New York Times Magazine published a lengthy article written by Russell Shorto about the life of Jo van Gogh-Bonger (1863-1925) who was Vincent's sister-in-law as she was married to his brother Theo. The articled neatly summarizes the results of over two decades of painstaking research into her life in the shadows, more or less, and reveals her utmost importance for the slowly but surely growing appreciation of Vincent's paintings, and the notoriety of his person both as an artist and as a tormented individual.

The article is very interesting and a fun read, if alone for the many illustrations: period photographs, facsimile's, and reproductions of several of Vincent's self portraits.

The Woman Who Made van Gogh

The Woman Who Made van Gogh
Neglected by art history for decades, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, the painter’s sister-in-law, is finally being recognized as the force who opened the world’s eyes to his genius.

Sources (English/Dutch) mentioned in the article:
Vincent van Gogh: The Letters.
Jo’s diaries
 
Back
Top Bottom