March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890
As is the case with many artists, Van Gogh was plagued with madness during his lifetime and it was not until after his death did he receive his rightful fame. He only sold one work of art during his lifetime but his paintings are now valued in the tens of millions of dollars.
Mental illness drove Van Gogh to cut off part of his left ear and in 1890 he shot himself in the chest. Van Gogh lived for two days after the shot but ultimately died in his brother’s arms at the age of 37.1 While his life and career were short, Van Gogh left the world with some of the most beautiful pieces of art of all time.
1 Tod Benoit, Where Are They Buried? (New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.), 333
