Killing Vincent cover © Edwind Kobobel
This spring, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston will present “Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art,” a major retrospective that traces the artist’s development from early sketches to his most recognized paintings. The exhibition follows van Gogh’s late start in art—he began pursuing painting seriously at 27 after unsuccessful attempts at careers as an art dealer, teacher, bookseller and minister. Largely self-taught, he was pushed by his brother Theo to cultivate his talent, ultimately producing masterpieces such as Starry Night and Irises.
Featuring more than 50 works across portraits, landscapes and still lifes, the Houston presentation is organized in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo. “Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art” will be on view March 10–June 27 in the Audrey Jones Beck Building.
If you plan to visit the show, consider reading Killing Vincent: The Man, The Myth and the Murder (Nostradamus and the 3 Maestros Productions, 2018) by I. Kaufman Arenberg, MD. This investigative book reexamines the circumstances of van Gogh’s death from a gunshot wound in July 1890. Challenging the long-accepted conclusion of suicide, Arenberg reviews historical records and physical evidence and argues that the available facts warrant serious questions about whether van Gogh was the victim of a homicide and whether the official narrative included a subsequent cover-up.
Whether you are drawn by the paintings on display or intrigued by the unresolved questions surrounding the artist’s final days, both the exhibition and the book invite a closer look at van Gogh’s life, his work and the legacy that continues to captivate audiences worldwide.