Birth of Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh was born on 30 March 1853 in Zundert. A Dutch Post-Impressionist painter, Van Gogh came to art late, after working as an art dealer, teacher and preacher, and was largely self-taught. Over about a decade he produced around two thousand works, which were marked by bold colour and expressive brushwork. They include The Starry Night, Sunflowers and portraits painted in Arles, Saint-Rémy and Auvers-sur-Oise, in France. He suffered from mental illness and sold very few paintings in his lifetime, relying on the support of his brother Theo. He died of a gunshot wound, generally thought to be self-inflicted, and his fame grew greatly after his death.

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