Fact or fiction? An imaginative collection of statements about Vincent van Gogh that challenges what we think we know about the artist-s much mythologized existence. Van Gogh is the most famous artist in the world, yet our understanding of his life is full of contradictions. Art historians, filmmakers, journalists, psychologists and conspiracy theorists have offered theories on his life and work, yet their views are often poles apart. Van Gogh has been described as a suffering genius, a madman, the embodiment of peace and compassion, a man of violence who was a danger to himself and others, a religious fanatic and a Marxist. Where does the truth lie and the myth begin? This book examines the continual rewriting of Van Gogh-s story since the first publications on the artist appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century. Presenting a collage of succinct facts and `counterfacts-, the text is drawn from a wide field of sources: fellow artists, friends and family, doctors and psychoana
