Cornfield with Crows, Van Gogh, July 1890
File · myths & sources · July 21, 2026

20 myths about Van Gogh
who still resist

What we say, what it really is - ear, suicide, madness, Starry Night, market

Cut ear, suicide, mad genius, Starry Night painted from memory, record rating: twenty preconceived ideas about Vincent van Gogh, sorted one by one with their institutional sources. Some are true in substance but false in detail. Others are entirely invented.

4categories
20myths deconstructed
10institutional sources
Sorrow, Van Gogh, 1882
Why this fileMany images of Van Gogh are in circulation. Lots of preconceived ideas too. This file brings together the most widespread and compares them to the archives.
The essential

Twenty myths, in four blocks

Van Gogh's popular version (the severed ear, the wheat field suicide, the mad genius) is simpler than the documented version. It was built over the course of the 20th centurye century based on partial testimonies, fictionalized biographies, and an imagination which has taken precedence over the facts.

Here are 20 of the most stubborn myths, grouped into four categories, with what institutional sources really say: Van Gogh Museum, Musée d'Orsay, MoMA, Musée Drenthe, online correspondence, and medical reports.

Daily life (1 -5)

Ear, training, nationality, method, market.

Mental health (6 -10)

Madness, epilepsy, condition during the ear, reflex paints.

Death and funeral (11 -15)

Suicide, place, Théo, funeral, Dr Gachet.

Art and posterity (16 -20)

Starry Night, Sunflowers, Bedroom, rating, 1905.

Daily life

Facts 1 to 5: his life, his workshop, his nationality

From the Arles operating room to the Saint-Rémy workshop, via the academies of Brussels and Antwerp: what we imagine of our daily life does not always correspond to the sources.

Myth 1

What they say"Van Gogh cut off his ear."
What it isVan Gogh cut off almost the entire left ear, leaving only a small piece of the lobe. Dr. Rey's medical drawing, rediscovered in 2016 in the archives of Bancroft (California), shows a clear incision at the base.
SourceBernadette Murphy - Van Gogh's Ear ; PBS Secrets of the Dead.

Myth 2

What they say"Van Gogh was 100% self-taught, with no training."
What it isLargely self-taught, he also received advice from Anton Mauve in The Hague (end of 1881-1882), briefly followed by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels (October-December 1880), then the Academy of Antwerp (January 18-end of February 1886), before the Cormon workshop in Paris (March 1886).
SourceVan Gogh Museum.

Myth 3

What they say"Van Gogh was Belgian."
What it isHe was Dutch, born in Groot-Zundert (North Brabant, Netherlands) on March 30, 1853. He lived in Belgium (Brussels, Borinage, Antwerp), but his nationality was Dutch.
SourceWikipedia (en) - Vincent van Gogh.

Myth 4

What they say"He painted everything in one go, in the urgency of the crisis."
What it isHe quickly painted on the motif, but prepared drawings, studies, sketches. Sunflowers and The bedroom are documented in series of several days in the workshop. The letters show long and planned phases of work.
SourceThe Letters of Vincent van Gogh.

Myth 5

What they say"He painted for collectors or for the market."
What it isHe painted out of necessity, due to a lack of live models (which he could not always pay for) and buyers. The only documented public sale during his lifetime is The Red Vine (Anna Boch, 400 francs, February 1890).
SourceThe Art Newspaper (August 15, 2025).

Myth 6

What they say"He always signed Vincent, not Van Gogh."
What it isTrue for the works he signed himself. He signed "Vincent" alone (without a last name). This is consistent with its Dutch usage. Also read: Why Van Gogh signs Vincent.
SourceWikipedia (en) - Vincent van Gogh.
Mental health

Facts 6 to 10: seizures, epilepsy, condition during the ear

The romantic story is that his madness nourished his genius. Documentary reality is more cautious: he experienced crises, was treated, and produced the majority of his work in the meantime.

Myth 7

What they say"His madness made him great."
What it isVan Gogh experienced crises. But the majority of the work is produced in intervals, in lucidity. The idea of a "crazy genius" is a construction of the XXe century, contested by most art historians.
SourceVan Gogh Museum - Saint-Rémy.

Myth 8

What they say"He suffered from epilepsy."
What it isDr Peyron (Saint-Rémy) speaks of "epilepsy", but the most documented retrospective analysis (Voskuil 2013, 2020; PMC 2020 review) concludes that comorbid disorders : probable bipolar disorder (type 2), borderline traits, alcohol use, and focal epilepsy of the temporal lobe in comorbidity. The word "epilepsy" then covered what Morel called "mental latent epilepsy".
SourcePMC NCBI - New vision on the mental problems of Vincent van Gogh (2020) ; Bernadette Murphy, Van Gogh's Ear.

Myth 9

What they say"He cut off his ear in a state of furious madness, in a crisis triggered by Gauguin."
What it isOn the evening of December 23, 1888, he went to a brothel in Arles and gave ear to a prostitute, Rachel. His exact mental state at that time (crisis, automatism, intention) remains debated. Dr. Rey's medical report describes the injury without specifying the psychological state at the time of the procedure.
SourceWikipedia (en) - Ear incident.

Myth 10

What they say"His paintings reflect his madness - jerky brushstrokes are symptoms."
What it isImpasto and expressive touch are stylistic choices documented in his letters, where he discusses technique with his peers. No simple correlation between his crises and the style of his paintings.
SourceMusée d'Orsay - Van Gogh in Paris.

Myth 11

What they say"He was schizophrenic."
What it isThe word "schizophrenia" did not exist in the 19th centurye century (introduced by Bleuler in 1908). The retrospective diagnosis of schizophrenia is now judged highly unlikely by researchers (PMC 2020): Van Gogh did not show psychotic symptoms before the age of 35, and did not show negative symptoms (emotional blunting, avolition) between his episodes. Doctors at the time spoke of epilepsy and seizures.
SourceVan Gogh Museum.

Myth 12

What they say"He painted Starry Night during a fit of madness."
What it isPainted June 1889, during the day, in the workshop at the Saint-Rémy asylum (Van Gogh did not have access to his room at night; painting at night, using artificial light, was impossible). He was in a state that he himself describes as "relatively calm". The sky, the village and the hills are deliberately recomposed.
SourceMoMA - Starry Night.
Death and funeral

Facts 13 to 15: suicide, location, Dr Gachet, Théo

Most Van Goghian mythology concerns the last days: suicide, place, burial, aftermath.

Myth 13

What they say"He committed suicide by shooting himself in a wheat field."
What it isHe shot himself on the evening of July 27, 1890, in Auvers-sur-Oise, in a room (Auberge Ravoux), not in a field. The "wheat field" scene comes from the painting Wheat field with crows, painted ~July 10, 1890, which has nothing to do with his suicide; his last documented work is Tree roots (Tree Roots). Since 2011, biographers Naifeh & White Smith defend one alternative thesis : accidental shooting by René Secrétan, 16, armed with a broken pistol. This thesis is not universally accepted, but it was taken up in Loving Vincent (2017) and At Eternity's Gate (2018).
SourceThe Art Newspaper (June 20, 2025).

Myth 14

What they say"Theo died of grief 6 months later."
What it isThéo died on January 25, 1891 in Utrecht, at the Willem Arntszhuis, following a dementia paralytica (tertiary neurosyphilis). Medical file opened to researchers in 1992, studied in particular by the neurologist Piet Voskuil: Théo had probably been infected since 1886. Final symptoms: two epileptic seizures on January 24-25, 1891, then died at 11:30 p.m. The grief accelerated the deterioration but is not the direct cause.
SourceVan Gogh Museum - Why did Theo die so soon after Vincent? ; PubMed 20051145 (De doodsoorzaak van Theo van Gogh).

Myth 15

What they say"He was buried like a stranger, in a mass grave."
What it isBuried on July 30, 1890 in the Auvers cemetery. The coffin was covered with a white sheet and yellow flowers (sunflowers, yellow dahlias). Were present: Théo (who sobbed), Dr Gachet (speech), Charles Laval, Lucien Pissarro (son of Camille), Auguste Lauzet, Julien Tanguy ("Father Tanguy"), Émile Bernard, Andries Bonger. The last paintings of Van Gogh had been hung around the coffin "like a halo".
SourceWikipedia (en) - Vincent van Gogh.

Dr. Gachet, homeopathic doctor, friend of Cézanne and Pissarro, followed Van Gogh to Auvers - recommended by Pissarro. His family welcomed Van Gogh, who painted two portraits of Dr. Gachet and his son. Théo traveled to Auvers after the injury, arrived in time to be present at the time of death. Source: Orsay Museum.

Art and posterity

Facts 16 to 20: works, market, heritage

Five myths that spread with the globalization of Van Gogh - and which resist despite published corrections.

16. "The Starry Night is painted from memory."

The painting was painted in the studio in June 1889, from sketches and the view from the asylum window. But the village, the hills and the sky are recomposed : no village study was done from the window. The sky configuration does not correspond to any night observable from Saint-Rémy. The painting is a deliberate assembly, not a visual recording. Source: Wikipedia (en) - The Starry Night.

17. "The Sunflowers = only one painting."

At least eleven paintings. Arles Series 1888-1889 ("Vase") : 5 main vases - Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam (F458, yellow background), National Gallery London (F454, yellow background), Neue Pinakothek Munich (F456, blue-green background), Philadelphia Museum of Art (F455, blue-green background), Sompo Museum Tokyo (F457, yellow background), Sompo Museum Tokyo (F457, yellow background) - plus one sixth destroyed by an American bombing on August 6, 1945 in Ashiya, Japan (F453, first "Vase with 12 sunflowers", private collection). Paris 1887 series ("cut sunflowers") : 4 paintings of cut sunflowers - Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam (F377, study), Metropolitan Museum of Art New York (F375), Kunstmuseum Bern (F376), Kroeller-Müller Museum Otterlo (F452). + 1 "Vase with 3 sunflowers" in private collection USA. Source: National Gallery ; Wikipedia EN - Sunflowers (Van Gogh series).

18. "The Room in Arles was painted in one night."

The first version dates from October 1888 (Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam, F482). Van Gogh made some three oils in total : Amsterdam (October 1888), Art Institute Chicago (F484, September 1889, in Saint-Rémy - it's there "repetition" for Théo, same scale), Musée d'Orsay (F483, summer 1889, in Saint-Rémy - it's there "reduction" smaller for her mother and sister Wil). + two sketches in the letters 705 (to Théo, October 16, 1888) and 706 (to Gauguin, October 17, 1888) - i.e. 5 versions in total (3 oils + 2 sketches). The idea of a work painted "in one stroke" is false: he spent several days on each version, adjusting colors and perspectives. Source: Art Institute Chicago ; Orsay Museum.

19. "His rating exploded because he died young and cursed."

His posthumous rating is the result of patient work: his sister-in-law Johanna van Gogh-Bonger (widow of Theo) organized exhibitions, publications and loans. The retrospective at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, from July 15 to 1er september 1905, organized and financed by Johanna, presented more than 480 works (according to the Van Gogh Museum). After the exhibition, the prices of Vincent's paintings immediately increased. Source: Van Gogh Museum - Jo van Gogh-Bonger.

20. "The record for a work by Van Gogh exceeds $100 million."

The current record is $117.2M, reached on November 9, 2022 by Orchard with cypress (Orchard with Cypresses, 1888), sold at Christie's New York as part of the Paul Allen collection (co-founder of Microsoft) - anonymous buyer. Previous record: Plowman in a field (1889), $81.3 million in 2017 at Christie's. Before that: Portrait of Dr. Gachet (1890), $82.5 million at Christie's on May 15, 1990 (Ryoei Saito). Source: The Art Newspaper (Nov 11, 2022) ; Guinness World Records.

Starry Night, Van Gogh, 1889
Starry NightJune 1889. The village, the hills and the sky are not a direct view from the asylum window - it is a deliberate composition. MoMA.
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Frequently asked questions

Twenty myths, in practice

Did Van Gogh really cut off his entire ear?

According to Dr. Rey's medical drawing, rediscovered in 2016 in the archives of the University of California, Berkeley, Van Gogh cut off almost the entire left ear, leaving only a small piece of the lobe. The testimony of Paul Signac (who spoke of a simple lobe) is contradicted by the medical reports of three doctors. Source: Bernadette Murphy, Van Gogh's Ear.

Was Starry Night painted from memory?

Only partly. The painting was painted in the studio, based on the view from the asylum window, but the village, the hills and the sky are deliberately recomposed. The village is not visible from the window. Source: MoMA, Wikipedia (en) - The Starry Night.

Did Van Gogh really kill himself?

This is the classic thesis (ball, July 27, 1890 in the evening in Auvers, in his room at the Auberge Ravoux), retained by the majority of historians. A alternative thesis, defended by biographers Naifeh & White Smith (2011), envisages an accidental shooting involving René Secrétan, a 16-year-old armed with a broken pistol. The alternative thesis is not universally accepted, but it has been taken up in films Loving Vincent (2017) and At Eternity's Gate (2018).

How many versions of Sunflowers are there?

At least five main versions, spread between Amsterdam, London, Munich, Philadelphia and Tokyo. The "good" one is at the Van Gogh Museum.

What is the price record for a work by Van Gogh?

The current record is $117.2M, reached on November 9, 2022 by Orchard with cypress (Orchard with Cypresses, 1888), sold at Christie's New York as part of the sale of the Paul Allen collection (co-founder of Microsoft). Anonymous buyer. Previous record: Plowman in a field, $81.3 million in 2017.

Why so many preconceived ideas about Van Gogh?

The popular narrative was constructed in the 20th centurye century by fictionalized biographies (Irving Stone, Lust for Life, 1934), films (The Passionate Life of Vincent van Gogh, 1956, with Kirk Douglas), and the media coverage of the "cursed genius". Stone's drawing for the novel had been provided by Dr. Felix Rey, but Stone published with one error (the "lobe only") which was corrected in 2016 by Bernadette Murphy, who rediscovered the original drawing in the archives of the Bancroft Library (UC Berkeley).

Sources and method

Go to texts

  1. Van Gogh Museum - biography, life, periods, official biography.
  2. The Letters of Vincent van Gogh, Van Gogh Museum /Huygens ING, 903 letters online.
  3. Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley - What actually happened to Vincent van Gogh's ear?, archives of Dr Félix Rey (1930), rediscovered by Bernadette Murphy in 2010.
  4. PBS - Secrets of the Dead: Van Gogh's Ear, documentary on the rediscovery of Rey's drawing in 2016.
  5. Wikipedia (en) - The Starry Night, sources on composition, village added (sketch F1541v), celestial identification.
  6. MoMA - The Starry Night, work sheet, dimensions, history.
  7. National Gallery, London - Sunflowers, main version of Sunflowers (F454).
  8. Wikipedia (en) - Sunflowers (Van Gogh series), inventory of 11 paintings (5 Arles + 4 Paris + 2 destroyed 1945).
  9. Art Institute of Chicago - The Bedroom (F484), rehearsal version for Théo.
  10. Musée d'Orsay - Van Gogh's Room in Arles (F483), discount version for mother and sister.
  11. Musée d'Orsay - Doctor Paul Gachet, worksheet, context of Dr Gachet.
  12. PMC NCBI - New vision on the mental problems of Vincent van Gogh (2020), study on comorbid disorders (bipolar, borderline, focal epilepsy).
  13. Van Gogh Museum - Why did Theo die so soon after Vincent?, on the dementia paralytica /neurosyphilis of Théo.
  14. PubMed 20051145 - De doodsoorzaak van Theo van Gogh (1857-1891), Dutch study on the cause of death.
  15. The Art Newspaper (June 20, 2025) - Van Gogh's suicide: ten reasons why the murder story is a myth, defense of the classic thesis against Naifeh & White Smith (2011).
  16. Wikipedia (en) - Death of Vincent van Gogh, primary and secondary sources on death.
  17. The Art Newspaper (Nov 11, 2022) - A Van Gogh record: Orchard with Cypresses soars to $117m, current record for a work by Van Gogh.
  18. Guinness World Records - Most expensive painting by Van Gogh sold at auction, record certification.
  19. Van Gogh Museum - Jo van Gogh-Bonger, the woman who made Vincent famous, on the Stedelijk retrospective 1905 (more than 480 works).
  20. The Art Newspaper (August 15, 2025) - The Red Vineyard, on the only public sale during Van Gogh's lifetime (Anna Boch, 400 francs, 1890).

This informative article cites public sources. It does not reproduce correspondence under law. For recent sales figures, refer to Christie's/Sotheby's catalogs; the figure of $82.5 million (1990) remains the public nominal record verified for a work by Van Gogh.

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