After his brother’s death Theo felt that he had a mission to find understanding and esteem for his work in collaboration with a small group of sympathetic artists and critics, but his deteriorating health caught up with him. In October 1890, in the advanced stages of syphilis, he suffered a bout of severe mental confusion. He had to be admitted to an asylum, was transferred to a clinic in Utrecht and died in January 1891, just six months after his older brother.was left a widow at twenty-nine with a small son,, who had been named after his artist uncle barely a year earlier. Her life had been turned upside down in the space of two years. She left Paris, returned to the Netherlands and opened a guest house in Bussum to provide for herself and her child. She had the responsibility for a large collection of works of art and immediately resolved to continue Theo’s mission – to gain recognition for Vincent’s work. On 14 November 1891 she noted in her diary: ‘Besides the child he [Theo] has bequeathed me another task – Vincent ‘s work – to get it seen and appreciated as much as possible; keeping all the treasures that Theo and Vincent had collected intact for the child – that, too, is my work.’Soon after this she wrote, ‘now I’m going to start on the letters in earnest and diligently, before the summer rush begins, they have to be ready,’and set herself the goal of publishing Vincent’s letters to Theo. It was to take her until 1914 to achieve it.

The writers of exhibition reviews pointed to the unusual aspects of Vincent’s work, sometimes dismissively, but most of the critics were at least intrigued, if not entirely won over.The letters of condolence Theo received after Vincent’s death also provide a considerable insight into his early reputation.Admittedly, the many compliments they contain might have been prompted in part by consideration for his bereaved relatives, but this apart there was also clearly a sincere regard for the artist.

When Vincent died, Theo wantedto have the honour of being the first to devote a lengthier publication to his deeply-mourned brother, and he told the critic that other writers had shown an interest – yet another indication that Van Gogh was no longer a complete unknown. Some six weeks after Vincent’s death, Theo wrote to his mother: ‘Last week we had a painter or a friend of Vincent’s to dinner three times, one was Aurier. He thinks he will be able to write a history of Vincent and promised he will often come to root around in his letters. He is someone who makes an extremely good impression. I’m still finding such interesting things in Vincent’s letters, and it would really be a remarkable book if people could see how much he thought and remained true to himself.’

At some point Theo must have lentthe letters from the Saint-Rémy period for a while.did the same shortly afterwards and did not get these letters back until after 27 March 1892: ‘one evening he gave you the bundle of letters dated from Saint-Rémy – but the next morning he needed them to look for something and sent the maid to ask for them back. But later on ... I think I did give you that bundle of letters dated from Saint-Rémy. I’ve finally finished sorting out all the letters (everything he wrote from 1872 onwards) and it’s just the ones from the Saint-Rémy period that I’m missing. Then I suddenly remembered that I gave them to you. ... I would be really, really pleased if you could have a look through your papers – if you don’t have them I don’t know what’s happened to them – and that would be a real shame because it was such an important time and they are the only ones missing from the correspondence which I’m preparing for the press. ... This is so rewarding for me because it’s the only thing I can do in memory of my husband and Vincent.’ (Jo van Gogh-Bonger to Albert Aurier, 27 March 1892, FR b1510).

The myth which holds that Van Gogh encountered nothing but misunderstanding during his life is as stubborn as it is explicable. But things are not as black and white as they are thought to be. The steps taken immediately after his death to publicize his work and publish extracts from his correspondence could never have been as successful as they were had they not been preceded by a number of different events. In January 1890 the avant-garde criticpublished in his series of articles ‘Les isolés’, an article praising Van Gogh, in, a magazine read at the time by everyone with an interest in modern art.said that he had shown Aurier the letters Van Gogh had written to him, and the sketches and the content had kindled the young critic’s enthusiasm.There can be no doubt that Aurier read the letters – the description of Van Gogh’s temperament in hisarticle is couched in terms taken straight from one of them.

was greatly impressed by Van Gogh’s work at the exhibition at Les Vingt in Brussels in 1890. He was to visitat home in May 1894.went to see her in December 1892 to discuss the publication of extracts of the letters inJo, for her part, must have seen this as a great opportunity, for when the batch of letters and drawings she sent to the editors went missing she immediately sent others.

The passages forwere selected to reflect and underline the magazine’s progressive artistic and social ideology: it was time for a new, modern art that derived from and served the people, but without sacrificing the artist’s individuality. There were considerable parallels with the Arts and Crafts movement, and the magazine’s aesthetic typography and design was a manifestation of this.There were illustrations of three landscape drawings and a portrait of Van Gogh by, whom Van Gogh had got to know in the months he lived in Antwerp. Vignettes by the Dutch artistsandaccompanied the text.

With the inclusion of quotations from the letters in his catalogue,was the first person to publicly establish a connection between Van Gogh’s work and his letters, but it would have reached a small and almost exclusively Dutch audience. This changed in August 1893 when longer extracts appeared in the Dutch-language Belgian avant-garde magazineThe young artist, the editor responsible for the design of the journal, in consultation with the editor-in-chief, chose passages from nine letters in Dutch and four in French. He preceded them with an introduction in which he explained the editors’ intention in simple and unmistakable terms: ‘to establish a memorial to praise Vincent van Gogh’. Van Gogh’s work had been exhibited at the Salon of Les Vingt in Brussels in January 1890 and in February 1891, and now, yet again, Belgium proved more receptive than any other country to the controversial Dutchman.

was the first person to make real use of the direct access he had to Van Gogh’s letters. He was one of the organizers of the Van Gogh exhibition that ran in the Kunstzaal Panorama (Amsterdam) from 17 December 1892 to 5 February 1893.He produced a Symbolist print inspired by Van Gogh’sfor the cover of the accompanying catalogue, and among the works listed he included four brief quotations from the letters, all taken from the later letters in French.

had opened her guest house in Bussum, a village in the attractive surroundings of the region known as Het Gooi (not far from Amsterdam) where several Dutch artists and writers lived or spent part of the year. Among the people she got to know were the artistsand, and the psychiatrist and writer. She also had regular contacts with the artist and critic, who was married to her old school friend. Although Jo found that Van Eeden and Veth were initially lukewarm at best about Van Gogh’s art, she insisted that they should also take notice of his letters. Here she met with a degree of success.

12. This emerges from her diary entries for the first few months of 1892 (FR b4450-IV). In December 1890, editor of the innovative literary journal, had published an appreciative if somewhat ambivalent article about Van Gogh’s art to mark his death; there is an English translation in Stein 1986, pp. 241-246.’s relations with Jan Veth were problematic because of his reservations about Van Gogh’s work; nonetheless there was some talk at this time about Veth’s assisting her in publishing the letters (FR b2084). In February 1893ran a favourable review of the exhibition in Kunstzaal Panorama in Amsterdam written by

2.3 Mercure de France 1893-1897

Emile Bernard Mercure de France from April 1893 onwards, a project that continued with some interruptions until August 1897, was of inestimable importance in the generation of interest in Van Gogh as an artist and certainly in his letters as an eminently readable personal testimony. 21 Van Gogh 2007. Shortly after Van Gogh’s death Paul Gachet L’Art & Critique would be willing to run the piece. ‘I can’t tell you how delighted I’d be to read what you thought of him in print. .... If you have continued your research on him, you really shouldn’t just leave it in a drawer where only a few lucky people could read it’ (FR b2015, 12 September 1890). Theo had offered to translate early Dutch letters into French for Gachet. ‘These letters could be very helpful to us if we want to describe how you become a painter and the growing realization that you have no choice but to go on in this direction’ (FR b2016, 12 August 1890). See also Pickvance 1992, pp. 142-147. 21. See also the Introduction inVan Gogh 2007. Shortly after Van Gogh’s deathtoyed with the idea of publishing something about him; Theo reminded him of this and wrote thatwould be willing to run the piece. ‘I can’t tell you how delighted I’d be to read what you thought of him in print. .... If you have continued your research on him, you really shouldn’t just leave it in a drawer where only a few lucky people could read it’ (FR b2015, 12 September 1890). Theo had offered to translate early Dutch letters into French for Gachet. ‘These letters could be very helpful to us if we want to describe how you become a painter and the growing realization that you have no choice but to go on in this direction’ (FR b2016, 12 August 1890). See also Pickvance 1992, pp. 142-147. The series of extracts from the letters thatpublished in thefrom April 1893 onwards, a project that continued with some interruptions until August 1897, was of inestimable importance in the generation of interest in Van Gogh as an artist and certainly in his letters as an eminently readable personal testimony.

Jo van Gogh-Bonger 22 Johan Cohen Gosschalk Brieven aan zijn broeder in 1924. 22. In 1901 she married the artist, who died in 1912. Through this second marriage her name became Cohen Gosschalk-Bonger, but we shall continue to call her Van Gogh-Bonger, as is customary in the literature. This was the name with which she signed the preface to the reprint ofin 1924. Bernard Andries 23 23. See Account book 2002, Introduction, esp. pp. 21-26. In September 1890 Bernard had helped Theo to stage an exhibition in Theo and Jo’s apartment in the cité Pigalle, and as early as the summer of 1889 he had tried to champion Van Gogh’s work while the artist was in the asylum in Saint-Rémy. He sent a brief review to Albert Aurier Le Moderniste. Bernard’s contribution was not published; a few months later Aurier’s own article appeared in Mercure de France. Afterwent back to the Netherlands,it waswho shouldered Theo van Gogh’s task in France and tried to bring Vincent’s work to the attention of the public. Jo’s brotherwas also involved in the early years, but his role was confined almost wholly to providing practical support for Jo, at least in so far as tensions between the pair permitted.In September 1890 Bernard had helped Theo to stage an exhibition in Theo and Jo’s apartment in the cité Pigalle, and as early as the summer of 1889 he had tried to champion Van Gogh’s work while the artist was in the asylum in Saint-Rémy. He sent a brief review to, editor of the magazine. Bernard’s contribution was not published; a few months later Aurier’s own article appeared in

Bernard Les hommes d’aujourd’hui (‘Men of Today’). 24 Bernard 24. Bernard 1891. On’s efforts in greater detail: Van Gogh 2007, Introduction. 25 25. See exhib. cat. Mannheim 1990, pp. 100, 292-293 (cf. for the address: FR b833). The collection had been in Paris for some time after Theo’s death, and he urged Jo van Gogh-Bonger 26 Account book 2002, pp. 24-25; in 1891 Bernard 26. See2002, pp. 24-25; in 1891also had photographs taken of twelve of Van Gogh’s works and marketed them as a set to generate money for an exhibition. See Larsson 1993, pp. 127-128. first published on Van Gogh in 1891, in the series(‘Men of Today’).In April 1892 he organized an exhibition at Galerie Le Barc de Boutteville in rue Le Pelletier in Paris, where sixteen paintings and a number of drawings were on show for a month.The collection had been in Paris for some time after Theo’s death, and he urgedto leave it in France because he believed that this would best serve the interests of Van Gogh’s reputation.

Bernard documents humains, and believed that a wider public might be interested in them. In the article in Les hommes d’aujourd’hui he observed that an edition of the letters he had received from Van Gogh ‘would have novelty and appeal’. By publishing excerpts from the letters, as he later explained, Bernard wanted ‘to try to make Vincent appreciated by revealing his spirit, his struggle, his life. There was nothing more powerful than his letters. After reading them, you would doubt neither his sincerity, nor his character, nor his originality; you would find everything there.’ 27 27. Lettres à Bernard 1911, Introduction, pp. 40-41. The first four instalments, which appeared monthly from April to July, were taken from Van Gogh's letters to Bernard himself, who wrote in the introduction to the April issue: ‘He was the noblest human character one could meet: frank, open, alert to the possible, with a certain trace of comical mischievousness; an excellent friend, an implacable judge, utterly without egoism or ambition, as his so simple letters show, in which he is as much himself as in his countless canvases.’ 28 Mercure de France 4 (April 1893), p. 329. Bernard Lettres à Bernard 1911. 28.4 (April 1893), p. 329.’s introductions to this series and to the series of letters to Theo (see below) were reprinted in1911. was one of those who appreciated early on that the letters could help make Van Gogh’s artistic aspirations understandable. But he also recognized their intrinsic value as, and believed that a wider public might be interested in them. In the article inhe observed that an edition of the letters he had received from Van Gogh ‘would have novelty and appeal’. By publishing excerpts from the letters, as he later explained, Bernard wanted ‘to try to make Vincent appreciated by revealing his spirit, his struggle, his life. There was nothing more powerful than his letters. After reading them, you would doubt neither his sincerity, nor his character, nor his originality; you would find everything there.’The first four instalments, which appeared monthly from April to July, were taken from Van Gogh's letters to Bernard himself, who wrote in the introduction to the April issue: ‘He was the noblest human character one could meet: frank, open, alert to the possible, with a certain trace of comical mischievousness; an excellent friend, an implacable judge, utterly without egoism or ambition, as his so simple letters show, in which he is as much himself as in his countless canvases.’

Bernard Mercure publication. A passage in a letter to Andries Bonger Luther 29 29. Amsterdam, RPK, inv. no. F 735. Bernard, as this reveals, wanted to protect Van Gogh from his supposed mistakes or exaggerations, and in the Mercure version he consequently replaced Van Gogh’s ‘Middle Ages’ with ‘the Renaissance’. 30 Mercure de France 4 (May 1893), p. 20. In the Vollard edition (1911) Bernard 30.4 (May 1893), p. 20. In the Vollard edition (1911)decided on a different solution: there he reproduced the passage correctly, but added a note to the effect that he did not share Van Gogh’s views. See letter 632, n. 23 devoted a great deal of time and thought to the modest editing he had to do for thepublication. A passage in a letter toof 31 December 1892 gives us an insight into his difficulties: ‘I copied out part of the letters, it’s very time-consuming and fiddly work. I am often forced to complete unfinished sentences and to follow ideas through impenetrable mazes. At other times it’s as clear as water from a spring. What do you think of this idea, for example:is the great light of the Middle Ages. Luther in the Middle Ages and an assertion of that kind, that could damage Vincent... Should such things be included? Tell me frankly what you think.’Bernard, as this reveals, wanted to protect Van Gogh from his supposed mistakes or exaggerations, and in theversion he consequently replaced Van Gogh’s ‘Middle Ages’ with ‘the Renaissance’.

Bernard selected five main themes from the correspondence: seventeenth-century Dutch painting, new painting, descriptions of Van Gogh’s work and progress, Van Gogh’s reactions to Bernard’s work, and his views on religion and society. The instalments were illustrated with works by Van Gogh, mainly letter sketches and drawings.

Mercure de France, I therefore took the position of reproducing nothing that could wound through coarseness of language, crudity of expression, of publishing nothing relating to myself, of giving only the initials of friends involved in our lives in those days.’ 31 31. Lettres à Bernard 1911, Introduction, p. 41. And the extracts, presented in a fairly random order, do indeed reveal little if anything about private circumstances or intimacies; the scabrous tone in some of the letters is also avoided. Bernard Signac On a later occasion – the publication of the integrated version in 1911 – he wrote that in selecting the extracts he had refrained from including personal issues relating to himself or other people. ‘Rather than publishing all of them straightaway, it was necessary, so to speak, to extract only their essence, so that the desired goal might be attained through cautious contact between the public mind and Van Gogh’s mind. In publishing these fragments in the, I therefore took the position of reproducing nothing that could wound through coarseness of language, crudity of expression, of publishing nothing relating to myself, of giving only the initials of friends involved in our lives in those days.’And the extracts, presented in a fairly random order, do indeed reveal little if anything about private circumstances or intimacies; the scabrous tone in some of the letters is also avoided.did dare to include the following line: ‘Painting and loving women are not compatible; and that’s what’s really damned annoying’. However, the original text was a good deal earthier: ‘Painting and fucking a lot are not compatible; it weakens the brain, and that’s what’s really damned annoying’ (letter 628 ). Another and perhaps more insidious form of this exercise of discretion is that he twice edited out’s name because there was bad blood between them.

Bernard 32 32. See Account book 2002, Introduction, p. 20, and p. 94 (they cost f 51.70½). On 28 June 1896, when Bernard, who was in Cairo at the time, mailed back these letters, he wrote to her: ‘pray God that they may be published properly one day, in their entirety’. 33 Alfred Vallette Mercure de France, asked Jo Andries 33. FR b830-831., the publisher of the, asked’s brother, who was still living in Paris at the time, to translate the extracts that had been selected from the Dutch letters into French. The letters towere followed by excerpts from letters to Theo: nine instalments in the period August 1893 to February 1895, with a final flourish delayed to August 1897. Bernard was also responsible for this series. He had borrowed the letters from Theo’s widow, who also paid for the plates for the illustrations to the letters, as her account book reveals.On 28 June 1896, when Bernard, who was in Cairo at the time, mailed back these letters, he wrote to her: ‘pray God that they may be published properly one day, in their entirety’.