Van Gogh & Research

On the surface, it does not look like there is much left of Vincent Van Gogh’s life yet to unearth and discover. After all, books have been written on his ear, his love life and of course the many struggles and adventures he had.

It is his time in Paris, that I personally have been drawn too. Initially, because I (like millions of us) adore Paris and all its history…of how its attracted artists and creatives for many centuries; its light and its buildings capture all our hearts and admiration.

Of course, much of what we know about Vincent is recorded in his many letters to his brother, Theo. But, during his time in Paris, he was living with Theo and so the letters tail off…bar a few general ones to family and friends. As such, there are gaps and unknowns…and it is for that reason that I have just returned from Amsterdam.

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam very generously has a research library and center, positioned just across the road from the main museum. It is open to anyone wishing to delve deeper and explore Van Gogh’s life and they have simply endless and countless books, reference materials, archives, old press cuttings, etc, etc, on ANYTHING related to Van Gogh. A quick email a couple of weeks beforehand secured my visit and the very helpful staff already had some reading material on this invaluable time frame ready for me to peruse.

The books and reference material they have available are invaluable and would take many years and thousands of pounds to acquire. More on my findings in future blogs, but for now – and the point of this post – if you are ever tempted to go….do!