Theodorus van Gogh (; 1 May 1857 – 25 January 1891) was a Dutch

art dealer An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art, or acts as the intermediary between the buyers and sellers of art. An art dealer in contemporary art typically seeks out various artists to represent, and builds relationsh ...

and the younger brother of

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

. His support of his older brother's artistic ambitions and well-being allowed Vincent to devote himself entirely to

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

. As an art dealer, Van Gogh played a crucial role in introducing contemporary French art to the public. Van Gogh died at the age of 33, six months after his brother's death at age 37. Van Gogh owned almost all of his brother's artwork. His widow,

Johanna van Gogh-Bonger Johanna Gezina van Gogh-Bonger (4 October 1862 – 2 September 1925) was a Dutch editor who translated the hundreds of letters of her first husband, art dealer Theo van Gogh (art dealer), Theo van Gogh, and his brother, Vincent van Gogh. Van ...

, worked to promote the work of Vincent and keep the memory of her husband alive. In 1914, Van Gogh's remains were buried next to those of his brother Vincent.

Early life

Theodorus van GoghNaifeh, Steven and Gregory White Smith. Van Gogh: the Life, p.23 New York: Random House (2011); was born on 1 May 1857 in the village of Groot-Zundert in the province of

North Brabant North Brabant ( ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, Dutch Brabant or Hollandic Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. He was the son of Theodorus van Gogh and Anna Cornelia Carbentus. He had two brothers,

Vincent Vincent (Latin: ''Vincentius'') is a masculine given name originating from the Roman name ''Vincentius'', which itself comes from the Latin verb ''vincere'', meaning "to conquer." People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003) ...

and Cor, and three sisters, Wil, Elisabeth and Anna.

Business career

Van Gogh worked for some years at the Dutch office of the Parisian art dealers Goupil & Cie in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

. Van Gogh joined the

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

office on 1 January 1873 as their youngest employee. After he was transferred to the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

office, he moved to the office in The Hague, where he became a successful art dealer. By 1884, he was transferred to the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

main office, which in 1884 took the name of Boussod, Valadon & Cie. Beginning in the winter of 1880–1881, he sent painting materials as well as monthly financial support to his brother Vincent, who was living in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and soon moved to the

Personal life

In Paris, Van Gogh met

Andries Bonger Andries Bonger (20 May 1861 – 20 January 1936) was a Dutch art collector, as well as Johanna van Gogh-Bonger's brother and Theo van Gogh's friend, who later became his brother-in-law. Relationship with Theo In December 1879, after fini ...

and his sister

Johanna Johanna is a feminine name, a variant form of Joanna that originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, including an -h- by analogy with the Latin masculine name Johannes. The original Greek form ''Iōanna'' lacks a medial /h/ because in Greek Spiritus ...

. He was quite taken with her and hoped to marry her. At the time, she was in a relationship she hoped would lead to marriage. When it did not, she reconsidered Van Gogh's proposal. They married in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

on 17 April 1889. During their short engagement, they had an extensive correspondence, later published as ''Brief Happiness'', in which they discussed practical matters of setting up married life together, but Van Gogh also conveyed strength and the importance of his bond with Vincent. The couple moved to Paris, where their apartment became a venue for socializing with artists and members of the artistic community. Their son Vincent Willem was born in Paris on 31 January 1890. On 8 June, the family visited Vincent, who was living near Paris in

Auvers-sur-Oise Auvers-sur-Oise (, "Auvers-on-Oise (river), Oise") is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Val-d'Oise, on the northwestern outskirts of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. I ...

. His brother Vincent died in July 1890 at age 37, after shooting himself with a revolver. Theo suffered from

dementia paralytica General paresis, also known as general paralysis of the insane (GPI), paralytic dementia, or syphilitic paresis is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder, classified as an organic mental disorder, and is caused by late-stage syphilis and the chr ...

, now understood as late-stage

neurosyphilis Neurosyphilis is the infection of the central nervous system by '' Treponema pallidum'', the bacterium that causes the sexually transmitted infection syphilis. In the era of modern antibiotics, the majority of neurosyphilis cases have been report ...

, and his health declined rapidly after Vincent's death. Weak and unable to come to terms with Vincent's absence, he died six months later at age 33, in

Den Dolder Den Dolder is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Zeist, and lies about 4 km northeast of Bilthoven. Den Dolder has a railway station on the route between Amersfoort and Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ...

. Van Gogh's great-grandson, also named Theo van Gogh, was a controversial film director, who was murdered on the streets of Amsterdam in 2004 by an Islamic extremist after making a short film critical of the treatment of women in Islamic culture.

Relationship with Vincent

Van Gogh admired his elder brother Vincent for his whole life, but communicating with him proved to be difficult, even before Vincent became an artist. The communication between both brothers suffered from diverging definitions of standards, and it was evidently Theo who kept on writing letters. Vincent did not keep all the letters Theo sent, but Theo kept every scrap of correspondence from his brother (651 letters addressed to Theo in total). Most of Vincent's replies survived but only 32 of Theo's remain . Theo was often concerned about Vincent's mental condition and he was amongst the few who understood his brother. It is known that Theo helped Vincent maintain his artist lifestyle by giving him money. He also helped Vincent pursue his life as an artist through his unwavering emotional support and love. The majority of Theo's letters and communications with Vincent are filled with praise and encouragement. Vincent would send Theo sketches and ideas for paintings, along with accounts of his day-to-day experiences, to the delight and eager attention of Theo.

Dealer and artist

While Van Gogh is best known for being the brother of Vincent van Gogh and one of his major roles in art was his influence on Vincent's career, Van Gogh himself made many important contributions. Van Gogh played a vital role in the introduction of contemporary Dutch and French art to the public: Van Gogh was instrumental in the popularity of

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

artists such as

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...

and

Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints, and drawings. Degas is e ...

by persuading his employers, Goupil & Cie, to exhibit and buy their works. Portret van Theo van Gogh - s0157V1962 - Van Gogh Museum

In 1886, Theo invited Vincent to live with him in Paris, and from March they shared an apartment in

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

. Theo introduced Vincent to

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

and in 1888 he persuaded Gauguin to join Vincent, who had moved to

Arles Arles ( , , ; ; Classical ) is a coastal city and Communes of France, commune in the South of France, a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Reg ...

. Theo not only conspired with Vincent as the liaison between Vincent and Gauguin, but was the deciding factor in his move to Arles, seeing as it was Theo van Gogh who planned and eventually committed to supporting them both financially. Theo paid for their living and professional expenses, as well as for the travel expenses Gauguin accumulated to get from

Pont-Aven Pont-Aven (; in Breton) is a commune in the Finistère department in the Brittany region in Northwestern France. Demographics Inhabitants of Pont-Aven are called in French. Pont-Aven absorbed the former commune of Nizon in 1954, which had ...

, Brittany, to Arles. Theo was equally the one with whom Gauguin communicated when his relationship with Vincent turned volatile and unmanageable, notably the severing of the ear fiasco. Theo was the source of stability and the intermediate between the two artists and allowed them to create prolifically for a couple of months (63 days); paintings that would otherwise not have survived. Competing with Paul Durand-Ruel and Georges Petit, the young dealer was to take over an important stake in this market. In 1888, he exhibited ten paintings by

from

Antibes Antibes (, , ; ) is a seaside city in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in Southeastern France. It is located on the French Riviera between Cannes and Nice; its cape, the Cap d'Antibes, along with Cap Ferrat in Saint-Jean-Ca ...

. Theo also had close relations with

Camille Pissarro Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro ( ; ; 10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but then in the Danish West Indies). ...

, and in the autumn of 1888, he presented a few of the painter's latest works, eventually devoting an exhibit to him in 1890.

allowed him to set up a small exhibition of his nudes in January 1888, and an exhibition of a selection of his works in 1889. Theo was also interested in

Alfred Sisley Alfred Sisley (; ; 30 October 1839 – 29 January 1899) was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedic ...

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French people, French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, fe ...

, and other "moderns" such as Paul-Albert Besnard, Eugène Carrière, and Jean-François Raffaëlli.

Correspondence

The two brothers maintained an intensive correspondence, with Theo often encouraging his depressed brother. Theo was one of the few people Vincent could talk to and confide in. These letters are one of the few sources of information about Vincent's life, providing detailed accounts of not only the occurrences, but also the thoughts and feelings in his life. Over three-quarters of the more than 800 letters Vincent wrote were to Theo, including his first and his last. It is largely thanks to Theo and his wife

, who in 1914 decided to publish the letters between Theo and Vincent that the letters are available. Hardly any of Theo's letters survive because Vincent failed to keep them. The two-year period in which Vincent and Theo lived together in the neighbourhood of

in Paris is also the least documented period of Vincent's artistic career because of the lack of letters. These letters witness both the emotional and professional state of Vincent throughout his life as early as 1874 and serve as a diary for his everyday encounters. The letters have been collected and published in the book ''

The Letters of Vincent van Gogh ''The Letters of Vincent van Gogh'' is a Letter collection, collection of 903 surviving letters written (820) or received (83) by Vincent van Gogh.

''.

Film legacy

The Van Gogh brothers' relationship figured in the

Vincente Minnelli Vincente Minnelli (; born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American Theatre director, stage director and film director. From a career spanning over half a century, he is best known for his sophisticated innovat ...

1956 movie adaptation of Irving Stone's 1934 biographical novel '' Lust for Life''. In it, Hollywood star

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...

played Vincent, and British actor James Donald played Theo. The family relationship was a central subject in

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

's movie '' Vincent & Theo'' (1990), starring British actors Tim Roth as Vincent and Paul Rhys as Theo. The brothers' relationship is also featured in Maurice Pialat's 1991 film ''

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artwork ...

'', with Jacques Dutronc playing Vincent and Bernard Le Coq as Theo. The delivery of Vincent's final letter to Theo after Vincent's death, and the circumstances surrounding his death, was the subject of the 2017 film '' Loving Vincent'', which was animated by oil paintings made with Van Gogh's techniques.

Julian Schnabel Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is an American painter and filmmaker. In the 1980s, he received international attention for his "plate paintings"—with broken ceramic plates set onto large-scale paintings. Since the 1990s, he has been a ...

's meditation on Vincent's artistic life, ''

At Eternity's Gate ''Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity's Gate)'' is an oil painting by Vincent van Gogh that he made in 1890 in Saint-Rémy de Provence based on an early lithograph. The painting was completed in early May at a time when he was convalescing from a se ...

'' (2018), featured

Willem Dafoe William James "Willem" Dafoe ( ; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades including a Volpi Cup Award for ...

as Vincent and

Rupert Friend Rupert William Anthony Friend (born October 1981) is a British actor. He first gained recognition for his roles in ''The Libertine (2004 film), The Libertine'' (2004) and ''Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont'' (2005), both of which won him awards for ...

as Theo.

Death

Van Gogh's health was not robust when he married. In fact, he had been denied a life insurance policy because of it. It deteriorated significantly in the months after the death of his brother. He was admitted to the Willem Arntz Hospital, a psychiatric hospital, in

on 18 November 1890. He had been diagnosed in Paris as suffering from a progressive and general paralysis. Initial examination confirmed this diagnosis. By 1 December his medical notes confirmed he presented all the symptoms of ''

'', a disease of the brain caused by

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

. He died on 25 January 1891. The cause of death was listed as ''dementia paralytica'' caused by "heredity, chronic disease, overwork, sadness". In 1914, Theo's body was exhumed from his resting place in Utrecht, Netherlands, and reburied with his brother at

at the wish of his widow, Jo, so the brothers could "lie together eternally". By doing that, she also guaranteed that those visiting the grave of the by now well known artist, would be aware of Theo's closeness to his older brother in life.

Early life

Business career

Personal life

Relationship with Vincent

Dealer and artist

Correspondence

Film legacy

Death

See also

Notes

References

Further reading