Vincent van Gogh Timeline

Van Gogh moved into Theo's Paris apartment, where he encountered Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painters including Monet, Pissarro, Signac, Gauguin, and Toulouse-Lautrec, dramatically brightening his palette.

Seeking bright light and color, Van Gogh relocated to Arles in Provence, where he entered one of the most productive phases of his life, painting sunflowers, orchards, and vibrant street scenes.

Image source: Bedroom in Arles

Paul Gauguin joined Van Gogh at the Yellow House, beginning nine weeks of intense artistic collaboration and increasingly volatile personal tension between the two strong-willed painters.

Image source: The Yellow House

After a violent argument with Gauguin, Van Gogh suffered a severe mental crisis in which he cut off part of his left ear and delivered it to a woman at a local brothel. Gauguin departed, and Van Gogh was hospitalized.

Following further breakdowns, Van Gogh committed himself to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where despite recurring illness he painted prolifically, including cypresses, olive trees, and irises.

Image source: Saint-Paul Asylum, Saint-Rémy (Van Gogh series)

Van Gogh moved to the village of Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris to be supervised by homeopathic physician Dr. Paul Gachet, whom Van Gogh famously described as 'sicker than I am.'

Image source: Auvers-sur-Oise

Van Gogh shot himself in the chest in a wheatfield near Auvers-sur-Oise and staggered back to his inn, where he died of his wounds two days later, with Theo at his bedside.

Image source: Death of Vincent van Gogh

Van Gogh died on July 29, 1890, reportedly saying his last words, 'The sadness will last forever.' His funeral was attended by family and fellow artists including Émile Bernard and Lucien Pissarro.

Theo died in January 1891 in Utrecht, weakened by illness and grief. He had sold almost none of Vincent's work during his lifetime but preserved every letter and canvas, enabling his brother's posthumous fame.

Image source: Theo van Gogh (art dealer)

A landmark exhibition of 71 Van Gogh paintings at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris brought his genius to wide public attention and deeply influenced emerging Fauvist artists.

Image source: Société des Artistes Indépendants

The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam mounted a retrospective of nearly 500 of Van Gogh's works, a watershed moment that established him as a major figure in modern art.

Image source: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, Theo's widow, published the collected letters between the brothers, providing intimate insight into Vincent's thoughts on art and life and cementing his legend.

Image source: The Letters of Vincent van Gogh

Irving Stone's biographical novel about Van Gogh became a bestseller, popularizing the mythos of the tormented genius for generations of readers worldwide.

Image source: Lust for Life (novel)

Vincente Minnelli's biopic, starring Kirk Douglas as Van Gogh, won Academy Awards and introduced millions to the painter's story and canvases.

Image source: Lust for Life (1956 film)

The Van Gogh Museum opened in Amsterdam, housing the largest collection of the artist's paintings and drawings in the world and becoming one of the most visited museums globally.

Image source: Van Gogh Museum

Japanese buyer Ryoei Saito purchased Portrait of Dr. Gachet at Christie's for $82.5 million, setting a record auction price that symbolized Van Gogh's towering market and cultural value.

The Van Gogh Museum and Huygens Institute launched an annotated digital edition of all of Vincent's letters, offering scholars and the public free access to his complete correspondence.