Hans Luijten

WINNER OF THE 2023 MARY LYNN KOTZ AWARD FOR ART IN LITERATUREIt is so good, after so many years of public indifference, even hostility towards Vincent and his work, to feel towards the end of my life that the battle is won.’ JO VAN GOGH-BONGER TO GUSTAVE COQUIOT, 1922‘It is a sacrifice for the sake of Vincent’s glory.’ JO VAN GOGH-BONGER ON THE SALE OF ‘THE SUNFLOWERS’ TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY, UK, 1924Little known but no less influential, Jo van Gogh-Bonger was sister-in-law of Vincent van Gogh, wife of his brother, Theo. When the brothers died soon after each other, she took charge of Van Gogh’s artistic legacy and devoted the rest of her life to disseminating his work.Despite being widowed with a young son, Jo successfully navigated the male-dominated world of the art market—publishing Van Gogh’s letters, organizing exhibitions in the Netherlands and throughout the world, and making strategic sales to private individuals and influential dealers—ultimately establishing Van Gogh’s reputation as one of the finest artists of his generation. In doing so, she fundamentally changed how we view the relationship between the artist and his work.She also lived a rich and fascinating life—not only was she friends with eminent writers and artists, but she also was active within the Social Democratic Labour Party and closely involved in emerging women’s movements. Using rich source material, including unseen diaries, documents and letters, Hans Luijten charts the multi-faceted life of this visionary woman with the drive to shake the art world to its core.

Vincent van Gogh’s letters have long been prized as some of the most valuable documents in the world of art. Not only do they throw light on Van Gogh’s own complex and intriguing character, they enlighten the whole creative process as seen through his eyes. Now Van Gogh’s entire existing correspondence is to be published in the most complete edition ever produced, illustrated extensively throughout, and drawing on fifteen years of scholarship and dedicated research. For the first time, all the works to which Van Gogh refers will be shown alongside the letters – not only the paintings and drawings that he himself was working on at the time, but also the works of art by others that he mentions. Sketches that Van Gogh made throughout the letters themselves are all reproduced here at full size. In over 900 letters we can observe Van Gogh’s thoughts and opinions at first hand, as well as his close ties with his brother Theo, his sometimes troubled relationships with friends and fellow artists, his personal doubts and fears, and above all his overriding passion for his art. This edition is not only an immense treasure trove of biographical and art-historical information, it provides a lasting pleasure as a personal written testimony to a life consecrated to art.