Killing Vincent: The Man, The Myth, and The Murder

On July 27, 1890, Vincent van Gogh came stumbling into his room in the Ravoux Inn, in Auvers-sur-Oise, France, bleeding from a wound in his abdomen. Thirty hours later, Vincent was dead. THe common myth, which has prevailed for over one hundred years, is that the "mad" artist shot himself in a wheatfield after suffering from years of unhappiness and "insanity". But is that what really happened?Killing Vincent is meant as a historical analysis and exposé of the most dastardly murder of Vincent van Gogh and the19th century, nefarious cover up of the world's most iconic artist's death. This is the biggest cold case in the annals of the art world. I have attempted to continue to explore the key questions that TIME magazine asked in its October 31, 2011, cover story: "Who killed Vincent van Gogh?" and "Was van Gogh's death really a suicide?" on the "Culture" Cover. I have attempted to answer both questions by adding in modern 21st century forensic analysis. This work is not meant as an academic treatise or dissertation, with every observation, thought, and detail requiring documentation. It is only an attempt as an expose', to seek the truth of what really happened on the day Vincent van Gogh was mortally wounded, and to best connect all the missing "dots". In the process, I will try to fit the best murder scenario into what little is really accepted, and why he was murdered....significantly changing art history! This book attempts to explore all possible scenarios, no matter how likely or unlikely, or how relevant or irrelevant they may appear to be to this cold case at first glance. Which of several scenarios best puts all the facts, stories, and legends together and connects all these odd "dots" now in a persuasive manner? Sometimes the truth is more unbelievable than the reality it discloses.