The most important art publication of 2009, if not of the decade.
The Financial Times: 19 september 2009
This magnificent new edition of the complete Van Gogh letters is a celebration not only of a great artist but of art itself.
The Observer: 18 October 2009
This could be the best autobiography of an artist yet to appear anywhere.
The Economist: 29 October 2009
New edition
A wonderful read
A wonderful read, these letters reveal that Vincent van Gogh was not only a great artist but also a gifted writer. As surely and skilfully as he wielded his brush and draughtman's pen, so he found the words to say what most deeply concerned him as a human being and an artist. All the works to which Van Gogh alludes in his letters will be shown for the first time: not only the paintings and drawings on which he himself was working, but also the works of art by others that he wrote about, over 4.300 illustrations in total.
Document humain
The international reputation of Van Gogh's correspondence is based upon its immense value as a document humain and on the enormous wealth of biographical and art historical information it contains. The letters constitute the story of Van Gogh's search for his destiny: of the close bond with his brother Theo, who supported him unconditionally, of his sometimes troubled friendships, his need for recognition and, above all, of his passion for art and literature. The letters are reproduced exactly as Van Gogh wrote them, without textual refinements, re-translations, amendments or excised passages. Supplementary texts add information about his life, the context in which the letters were written, a list of materials discussed in the letters, a chronology of his life and a full index.
Data
Edited by Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten and Nienke Bakker.
Six hardback volumes, slipcased, 2,180 pages, over 4,300 illustrations.
Van Gogh Museum/Huygens Institute/Mercatorfonds, 2009
Co-editions: English (Thames & Hudson), French (Actes Sud) and Dutch (Amsterdam University Press)
ISBN: 978 90 6153 853 0
Price € 395
