Jo van Gogh-Bonger: The Woman who Made Vincent Famous

by Hans Luijten, Lynne Richards (Translator)

Overview

It is so good, after so many years of public indifference, even hostility towards Vincent and his work, to feel towards the end of my life that the battle is won.'
JO VAN GOGH-BONGER TO GUSTAVE COQUIOT, 1922

'It is a sacrifice for the sake of Vincent's glory.'
JO VAN GOGH-BONGER ON THE SALE OF 'THE SUNFLOWERS' TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY, UK, 1924

Little known but no less influential, Jo van Gogh-Bonger was sister-in-law of Vincent van Gogh, wife of his brother, Theo. When the brothers died soon after each other, she took charge of Van Gogh's artistic legacy and devoted the rest of her life to disseminating his work.

Despite being widowed with a young son, Jo successfully navigated the male-dominated world of the art market-publishing Van Gogh's letters, organizing exhibitions in the Netherlands and throughout the world, and making strategic sales to private individuals and influential dealers-ultimately establishing Van Gogh's reputation as one of the finest artists of his generation. In doing so, she fundamentally changed how we view the relationship between the artist and his work.

She also lived a rich and fascinating life-not only was she friends with eminent writers and artists, but she also was active within the Social Democratic Labour Party and closely involved in emerging women's movements.

Using rich source material, including unseen diaries, documents and letters, Hans Luijten charts the multi-faceted life of this visionary woman with the drive to shake the art world to its core.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350299580
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/03/2022
Pages:	544
Sales rank:	178,690
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 9.80(h) x 2.10(d)

About the Author

Hans Luijten is Senior Researcher at the Van Gogh Museum. He is the author of Van Gogh and Love (2007) and Alles voor Vincent (2019). Luijten also edited Vincent van Gogh, Painted with Words: The Letters to Emile Bernard (2007), the six-volume Vincent van Gogh – The Letters: The Complete Illustrated and Annotated Edition (2009, vangoghletters.org) and Jo Bonger's previously unpublished diaries (bongerdiaries.org). His books have been published in various languages, including English, Dutch, French and Chinese.

Lynne Richards is a professional translator and Dutch-English editor specializing in art history, general history and the humanities. Her recent translations include A History of the Netherlands (Bloomsbury, 2015) and Jo Bonger's diaries (2019), a four-volume bi-lingual publication available digitally at bongerdiaries.org. Since 1998, she has been a partner of Lynne & Paul Richards Translations.

Table of Contents

Introduction: 'An Amsterdam girl'

Part One: A respectable middle-class family-the Bongers, 1862–88
1. A carefree childhood in a harmonious family
2. HBS and training as an English teacher
3. Translator, teacher and love for Eduard Stumpff

Part Two: Initiation into art-the Van Goghs, 1888–91
4. Prelude to her marriage to Theo van Gogh
5. Married life and motherhood in Paris
6. Life with the duality of Theo and Vincent

Part Three: Boarding house keeper with an attic full of art, 1891–1901
7. Back in the Netherlands-Villa Helma in Bussum
8. Contacts with Jan Veth, Jan Toorop and Richard Roland Holst
9. Playing with fire-Isaac Israëls

Part Four: Second marriage and concentrated promotion of Van Gogh's work, 1901–5
10. Johan Cohen Gosschalk-Villa Eikenhof in Bussum
11. Reviewing books and promoting Van Gogh-back in Amsterdam

Part Five: Van Gogh goes from strength to strength, 1905–12
12. A magnificent exhibition in the summer of 1905
13. The art dealers Gaston Bernheim, Paul Cassirer and Johannes de Bois
14. Contracts for publication of Van Gogh's letters

Part Six: Efforts for social democracy and publication of Van Gogh's letters, 1912–25
15. The Sociaal-Democratische Arbeiderspartij (SDAP)
16. The publication of Brieven aan zijn broeder (Letters to his Brother) (1914)
17. New York-translations of the letters into English
18. A sacrifice for Vincent's glory

Epilogue: 'An exceptional example for women'

Notes
Illustrations
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index of Names and Titles

Editorial Reviews

[Luijten] presents a fascinating and detailed account of [Jo van Gogh-Bonger's] astonishing life … [A] magnificent tribute.” —Martin Bailey, The Art Newspaper

“Magisterial. . . . Luijten has produced the most significant addition to the Van Gogh literature in nearly forty years.” —New Criterion

“Thorough … from which [Jo van Gogh-Bonger] emerges as both formidable and fascinating in her own right.” —New Statesman

“Art historians say Luijten's biography is a major step in what will be an ongoing reappraisal - not only of the source of van Gogh's fame but also of the modern notion of what an artist is. For that, too, is something Jo helped to invent.” —Russell Shorto, The New York Times

“Compelling … The book brings a remarkable woman to wider notice … The van Gogh brothers were inseparable, in life and death, but thanks to this author's diligence, Jo now has her place alongside them.” —Michael Prodger, Country Life

“[A] superb biography of the … extraordinary Jo van Gogh-Bonger. So much has been written on Vincent van Gogh that you wonder what more can be said. It turbans out much more on the woman who was the early driving force behind the Dutch artist's legacy.” —Jacqueline Riding, The Art Newspaper (Books of the Year)

“[An] important biography.” —Elizabeth Lowry, Times Literary Supplement

“This revelatory new biography portrays [Jo van Gogh Bonger] as a visionary woman, driven to shake the art world to the core, who took charge of van Gogh's artistic legacy after the brothers' deaths. It also sheds new light on the complex history of how public appreciation for the work of van Gogh the artist originated and grew.” —The Bookseller

“An accessible, immensely researched and vital record of van Gogh-Bonger's remarkable life … [Jo] ensured that Vincent's talent and pieces lived on; now her own extraordinary work and legacy are highlighted in this essential book from Luijten.” —Chloe Edwards, Buzz

“A fascinating and copiously illustrated biography of van Gogh's remarkable sister in law.” —John Green, Morning Star

“More than a literary biography... Jo's life and her experiences in the international art world fascinate and enthral.” —De Standaard

“All for Vincent captivates you. It is as if you are a personal witness to the story of a girl from Amsterdam who breaks free from her protective environment and grows into a strong and dedicated woman in a world that is dominated by men.” —Trouw

“The book provides an ideal compliment to the letters and diaries, fleshing out what is, in the latter case for Jo, a rather fragmentary record, largely preoccupied with what she describes as, 'the mirror of my inner life'. Armed with all the archive material at his disposal, Mr Luijten expertly fills in the gaps using sources that include not only Jo's diaries, but [from] her son, Vincent Willum ... this reader can only recommend [the author's] book.” —Jourbanal of Curatorial Studies

“This incredibly granular account of the life of Jo van Gogh-Bonger finally gives her the credit she deserves. . . . Inspiring.” —Artnet

“It's massively important. [...] It shows that without Jo there would have been no van Gogh.” —Steven Naifeh, author of the bestselling 'Van Gogh: The Life' (2011) and 'Van Gogh and the Artists He Loved' (2021)

From the Publisher