Theo van Gogh (art dealer)

Theo van Gogh

Theo van Gogh in 1888
Born Theodorus van Gogh [1]
(1857-05-01)1 May 1857
Groot-Zundert, Netherlands
Died 25 January 1891(1891-01-25) (aged 33)
Utrecht, Netherlands
Cause of death Dementia paralytica
Nationality Dutch
Occupation Art dealer
Known for Correspondence with his brother Vincent van Gogh
Spouse(s) Johanna Bonger
 (m. 1889; his death 1891)
Children Vincent Willem van Gogh

Theodorus "Theo" van Gogh[1] (Dutch pronunciation: [teːjoːˈdoːrɵs ˈteːjoː vɑŋ ˈɣɔx];[2] 1 May 1857 – 25 January 1891) was a Dutch art dealer. He was the younger brother of Vincent van Gogh, and Theo's unfailing financial and emotional support allowed his brother to devote himself entirely to painting. Theo died at the age of 33, six months after his brother died at the age of 37.

Biography

Theo van Gogh in 1878

Theodorus "Theo" van Gogh was born on 1 May 1857 in the village Groot-Zundert in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands. He was the son of Theodorus van Gogh and Anna Cornelia Carbentus. His elder brother was Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), who later became a famous painter.

Business

Theo worked for some years at the Dutch office of the Parisian art dealers Goupil & Cie in The Hague. Theo joined the Brussels office on 1 January 1873 as their youngest employee. After Theo was transferred to the London office, he moved to the office in The Hague, where he developed into a successful art dealer.[3] By 1884, he was transferred to the Paris main office. Starting in the winter of 1880–1881, he sent painting materials as well as monthly financial support to his brother and painter Vincent van Gogh, who was living back in the Netherlands.

Private life

In Paris, Theo met Andries Bonger and his sister Johanna. He married Johanna in Amsterdam on 17 April 1889 and they moved to Paris. Their son Vincent Willem was born in Paris on 31 January 1890. On 8 June, the family visited Vincent, who was living near Paris in Auvers-sur-Oise. Vincent died in July 1890 at age 37. Theo suffered from dementia paralytica, an infection of the brain,[4][5] and his health declined rapidly after Vincent's death. Weak and unable to come to terms with Vincent's absence, he died six months later (25 January 1891) at age 33 in Den Dolder.[6]

Theo's great-grandson, also named Theo van Gogh, was a famous and controversial film director, who was murdered on the streets of Amsterdam in 2004 by an Islamic extremist after making a short film critical of Islam.[7]

Relationship with Vincent

This 1887 portrait by Vincent van Gogh, long thought to be a self-portrait, was reassessed in 2011 to be one of his brother Theo van Gogh.[8]

Theo admired his elder brother Vincent for his whole life. But communicating with him proved to be difficult, even before Vincent opted to follow his artistic vocation. The communication between both brothers suffered from diverging definitions of standards, and it was evidently Theo who kept on writing letters. Therefore, mostly Vincent's answers survived and few of Theo's. Theo was often concerned about Vincent's mental condition and he was amongst the few who understood his brother.[9] It is known that Theo helped Vincent to maintain his artist lifestyle by giving him money. He also helped Vincent pursue his life as an artist through his unwavering emotional support and love. The majority of Theo’s letters and communications with Vincent are filled with praise and encouragement. Vincent would send Theo sketches and ideas for paintings along with any other triviality from his day, all to the delight and eager attention of Theo.[10]

Dealer and artist

While it is true that Theo is best known for being the brother of Vincent van Gogh and that one of the major roles of Theo van Gogh’s life was his influence on Vincent’s career, Theo himself made many important contributions within his lifetime. Theo’s work as an art dealer and the important effect he had on the art world are often overshadowed because of his relation to Vincent, but Theo played a vital role in the introduction of contemporary Dutch and French art to the public.[11] Theo was instrumental in the popularity of Impressionist artists such as Claude Monet and Edgar Degas by persuading his employers, Goupil & Cie, to exhibit and buy their works.[12]

In 1886, Theo invited Vincent to come and live with him in Paris, and from March they shared a house in Montmartre. Theo introduced Vincent to Paul Gauguin, Paul Cézanne, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri Rousseau, Camille Pissarro and Georges Seurat, and in 1888 he persuaded Gauguin to join Vincent, who had moved to Arles in the meantime.

Letter correspondence

The two brothers maintained an intensive correspondence, with Theo often encouraging his depressed brother. Theo was one of the few people who Vincent could talk to and confide in. These letters are one of the main and only sources of information about Vincent's life, providing many detailed accounts of not only the occurrences but also the thoughts and feelings in Vincent's life. Over three-quarters of the more than 800 letters Vincent wrote during his life were to Theo including his first and his last letters.[13] It is largely thanks to Theo and his wife that these letters are available today.[9] Hardly any of Theo's letters remain because Vincent failed to keep them.[14] The letters have been collected and published in book form as The Letters of Vincent van Gogh.[15][16]

The relationship between the two brothers was the subject of the movie Vincent & Theo (1990), directed by Robert Altman. It also formed an important part of the 1956 film Lust for Life, which was directed by Vincente Minnelli. Theo was played by the British actor James Donald and Vincent by the Hollywood star Kirk Douglas.

Death

Two graves and two gravestones side by side; heading behind a bed of green leaves, bearing the remains of Vincent and Theo Van Gogh, where they lie in the cemetery of Auvers-sur-Oise. The stone to the left bears the inscription: Ici Repose Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) and the stone to the right reads: Ici Repose Theodore van Gogh (1857–1891)
Vincent and Theo van Gogh's graves at the cemetery of Auvers-sur-Oise

Theo's health deteriorated in the months after the death of his brother. He was admitted to the Willem Arntz Hospital, a psychiatric hospital, in Den Dolder on 18 November 1890. He had been diagnosed in Paris as suffering from a progressive and general paralysis. Initial examination confirmed this diagnosis. By 1 December his medical notes confirmed he presented all the symptoms of dementia paralytica, a disease of the brain. He died on 25 January 1891. The cause of death was listed as dementia paralytica caused by "heredity, chronic disease, overwork, sadness".[6] In 1914, Theo's body was exhumed and reburied with his brother at Auvers-sur-Oise.[17]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 [Naifeh, Steven and Gregory White Smith. Van Gogh: the Life, p.23 New York: Random House (2011); ISBN 978-0-375-50748-9]
  2. ↑ In isolation, van is pronounced [vɑn].
  3. ↑ Jan Hulsker (1990). Vincent and Theo van Gogh: A Dual Biography. Fuller Technical Publications.
  4. ↑ Theo's medical records
  5. ↑ Google Books, Deborah Hayden, POX, Genius, Madness and the Mysteries of Syphilis, p. 152; retrieved 23 June 2009
  6. 1 2 van der Veen, Wouter; Knapp, Peter (2010). Van Gogh in Auvers: His Last Days. Monacelli Press. pp. 260–264. ISBN 978-1-58093-301-8.
  7. ↑ Gunman kills Dutch film director, retrieved 21 July 2009
  8. ↑ "Portrait of Theo van Gogh, 1887". Van Gogh Museum. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  9. 1 2 Irving Stone (1937). Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh. The New American Library.
  10. ↑ "Vincent van Gogh(Dutch Painter)" . Britannica. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  11. ↑ "Theo van Gogh. Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum" . JSTOR. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  12. ↑ Rewald, Gazette des Beaux-Arts 1973
  13. ↑ "Important figures in the life of Vincent van Gogh", Van Gogh Gallery. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  14. ↑ Ronald de Leeuw (ed.). The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh. Penguin Group. ISBN 0-7139-9135-6.
  15. ↑ Leo Jansen; Hans Luitjen; Nienke Bakker, eds. (2009). Vincent van Gogh - The Letters: The Complete Illustrated and Annotated Edition. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-23865-0.
  16. ↑ "Vincent van Gogh: The Letters". Van Gogh Museum. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  17. ↑ "La tombe de Vincent Van Gogh – Auvers-sur-Oise, France". Groundspeak. Retrieved 23 June 2009.

References

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