Vincent Van Gogh

Ever wonder what it would be like to work your whole life but not achieve fame and fortune until after you die?

How much would that suck? I mean I guess you wouldn’t really even care though, ya know, being dead an all.

There are plenty of tragic examples of this, but I personally think Vincent Van Gogh is the most notable.

I’m sure you have heard of Van Gogh, even if you don’t consider yourself very ‘art savvy’. 

Perhaps one of the most widely celebrated post-impressionist painters of all time, poor Van Gogh did not reach fame and popularity until after his death.

For those of you that don’t know much about the life of Vincent Van Gogh, I’ll give you some facts.

Born in 1853, Van Gogh was said to have been a very shy kid with self-esteem issues. Say what you want about red-heads, but I happen to have a couple very good ‘ginger’ friends.

Van Gogh actually pursued becoming a priest but later gave up on his Holy journey to pursue the lucrative business of being an artist. He really did not start painting or drawing until he was in his 20s. Most of his work is known for the scenic landscapes and views throughout France or The Netherlands, with the vibrant colors, and unique painterly strokes of genius.

Or maybe you only know him for “Starry Night.”

What else you probably don’t know is that he suffered from severe depression and epilepsy. The dude was, quite frankly, mentally unstable. 

Thousands of paintings, drawings, sketches, etc not even being discovered or praised until after he committed suicide in 1890.

Yupp, he took his own life at the young age of 37.

After his death, his work seemed to spread like wildfire throughout Europe, starting out of France and Belgium. Today his work is worth millions. So if you have at the very least about $90 million stashed away somewhere, you’d be able to hang the original Starry Night up in your living room.

You can find the largest collection of his work at The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. They house about 200 paintings, 400 drawings, and 700 letters of Vincent’s. 

I ‘highly’ suggest you check out this museum if you find yourself lost in Amsterdam.

Can you think of anyone else that didn’t become famous till after death?

Edgar Allan Poe perhaps?