10 Facts About Vincent van Gogh's Life and Career

Vincent van Gogh, born in 1853 in Zundert, Netherlands, was the son of Protestant minister Theodorus van Gogh. He had a stillborn brother also named Vincent Willem van Gogh, buried in Zundert. Before becoming an artist at age 27, van Gogh worked as a lay preacher in the Borinage, a Belgian mining village, where his empathetic lifestyle led to his dismissal. His family was involved in art: his uncle ran a Goupil & Cie branch, and van Gogh worked as an art salesman in The Hague, London, and Paris before being dismissed. His brother Theo, a successful art dealer, encouraged him to paint. Van Gogh produced over 2,000 artworks in 10 years, including 200 paintings and 100 drawings during 15 months in Arles (1888–1889). He painted from nature but occasionally from memory, influenced by Paul Gauguin. He signed works as 'Vincent' due to his difficult surname. He had a serious relationship with Sien Hoornik, a seamstress and sex worker, in 1882. Posthumous fame came through his sister-in-law Jo van Gogh-Bonger, who organized exhibitions and published his letters.