A Brief History of Vincent van Gogh

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1851.

• May: Reverend Theodours van Gogh married Anna Cornelia Carbentus.

1852.

• Older brother, Vincent Willem van Gogh, stillborn March 30. Buried in Zundert cemetery.

1853.

• Vincent Willem van Gogh, the artist, is born March 30 in Zundert, Holland.

1857.

• May 1, birth of Vincent's brother Theo with whom Vincent developed a close bond.

• Siblings birth years: Anna, 1855. Elizabeth, 1859. Wilhemina, 1862. Cornelis, 1867.

1864.

• October: Boarding school in Zevenbergen.

1866.

• September: Boarding school in Tilburg until 1868.

1869.

• July: Employed as a clerk at The Hague branch of Goupil & Co., an art dealership owned by his Uncle “Cent” Vincent.

1872.

• August: Writes first letter to Theo.

1873.

• Promoted to London branch of Goupil & Co. and made a very promising start as a sales dealer.

• Rejected by his landlady's daughter, Eugenie Loyer.

• Suffered (blessed with?) a personality change, becoming sullen and argumentative with customers.

• Became intensely focused in religion.

1874.

• October: Transferred to Paris branch of Goupil & Co., where it was hoped that he would improve his demeanor. He did not.

1875.

• January: Returns to London branch.

• May: Sent back to Paris office.

1876.

• April: Dismissed from Goupil & Co. for his increasingly argumentative ways and religious fever.

• Return to England, where he accepted an unpaid position as an assistant teacher at a boys school in Ramsgate.

• June: Taught at a school in Isleworth with an emphasis on religious education.

• December: Left to visit his parents; does not return.

1877.

• January: Worked in a bookstore in the Dordrecht, Holland. Moody religious zeal continues.

• May: Studies for theological school in Amsterdam.

1878.

• Failed in his theology exams, but in August enters missionary school

1879.

• January: Accepted an unpaid position as missionary in a community of coal miners in the Borinage district of Belgium. He lives like the coal miners, and suffers a great loss when many of his friends die in a mine cave-in.

• July: Dismissed from his duties because of his behavior and possibly because of inciting the minors to strike for better working conditions.

• Begins “moulting period.”

1880.

• July: Decides to become an artist; begins sketching and painting.

• September: Enrolled in classes at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, in Brussels.

• Meets van Rappard.

1881.

• April: Lives with his parents in Etten.

• Falls in love with his cousin Kee Vos-Stricher, who rejects him.

• December: Leave parsonage after argument with father.

1882.

• Move to the Hague.

• Studied under his Uncle Mauve, a popular contemporary artist.

• Lives with destitute, pregnant, alcoholic prostitute, Clastina “Sien” Hoornick.

• June: Sien’s boy is born.

1883.

• September: Ended relationship with Sien. Moved to Drenthe.

• December: Leaves to live with his parents in Nuenen, Holland.

1884.

• January: Cares for injured mother.

• July: Love affair with older woman, Margot Beregmann, who attempted suicide.

• Teaches art to three men in Eidhoven.

1885.

• March 27: Father dies suddenly.

• April: Works on his first masterpiece, The Potato Eaters.

• Falsely accused of fathering a child by Gordina “Stein” DeGroot.

1886.

• January: Enrolled in our classes in Antwerp, but argued with his tutors over artistic merit and was expelled.

• February: Move to Paris where he lived with Theo.

• March: Attends classes at Corman’s studio.

• Meets Bernard, Gauguin, Pissaro, Signac, Degas, Guillaumin, Toulouse-Lautrec.

1888.

• February 21: Arrives in Arles, Provence area of France.

• June: Visits Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

• September 18: Moves into the Yellow House.

• October 20: Gauguin arrives.

• Theo announces engagement to Johanna.

• December 23: Total mental breakdown, cuts ear, hospitalized.

• Gauguin leaves.

1889.

• January: Leaves hospital, returns, then forcibly put in hospital again.

• April 17: Theo and Johanna married

• May 8: Admitted himself to the Asylum of St. Paul in San Remy.

• The seizures continued. Painted Starry Night.

• Received news Jo was pregnant and wish to name the child after him.

1890.

• January: Vincent’s art praised by Albert Aurier in the Mercure de France.

• February: Paintings exhibited in Brussels; sells painting Red Vinyard.

• Left asylum against his doctor's advice.

• May 17: Visits Paris to meet his nephew & godson, Vincent, and Johanna.

• May 21: Arrives in Auvers, where he placed himself in the care of Dr. Gachet.

• June 8: Theo, Johanna and nephew visit Vincent.

• July 6: Vincent visits Paris.

• July 27: Shot himself in the wheat fields above of Auvers.

• With Theo by his side, Vincent died before dawn on July 30, aged 37.

1891

• Theo van Gogh dies six months later.

1914.

• Johanna Bonger van Gogh publishes Vincent’s letters.

1987.

• Painting of Irises sells for $53.9 million ($101.2m in today’s dollars)

1990.

• Painting of Dr. Gachet sells for $82.5million ($134.6m in today’s dollars)

Total Work:

Paintings: 864

Drawings: 1039

Watercolors: 150

Lithographs: 10

Letter sketches: 133

Letters: 874

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