Vincent van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter who achieved immense fame and influence over the art world after his death. His early adulthood was erratic, as both his personal and professional interests changed more than once. At 20, he worked as an art dealer and later turned to missionary work before his brother, Theo, suggested he take up art in earnest. He did not start painting until he was 27, though he drew from an early age. Throughout his life, Vincent struggled, often living in poverty and in poor mental and physical condition.
Van Gogh did not sell paintings during his life, though some painters recognized his talent. Theo supported him financially and emotionally, and much of what is known of Van Gogh comes from the letters he exchanged with his brother over eighteen years, from when Vincent was 19 till his death. At age 37, he died by suicide. Theo died the following year. It was Theo’s wife, Jo van Gogh, who publicized Vincent’s paintings through sales and exhibitions, and who prepared the letters between the van Gogh brothers for publication. Today, Vincent Van Gogh’s works are among the most expensive paintings in the world.