Without Johanna Van Gogh Bonger, there is a good chance you would never have seen this:

Yes, that is The  Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, and you can thank Johanna’s  (Jo as she was called) persistence and dedication to keeping Vincent Van Gogh’s memory alive. So – let’s look at her life.

Johanna was born in Amsterdam in 1862,. Fluent in English she earned what was the equivalent of a collage degree, which was practically unheard of at this time. She went to London and worked briefly at the library in the British Museum.

Upon returning to Utrecht (about 1/2 hour from Amsterdam), she taught English at a girl’s boarding school. Meanwhile, her brother, Andries, had moved to Paris and met Theo and Vincent Van Gogh. Being close, Johanna travelled to visit her brother. Theo immediately declared his love and devotion to Johanna, which alarmed her and caused her to return to Amsterdam. Luckily (for us and the world) he eventually wore her down and they were married in 1889.

Jo always knew that Vincent came with Theo. When Jo and Theo had a son, they named him Vincent Willem. 

Well, we know this story doesn’t end well. Vincent died at the age of 37 in 1890 with Theo at his side. Theo already had a pre-existing case of syphilis (somehow he didn’t infect Johanna) and his health declined rapidly because the grief of Vincent’s death was just too much for him. He died in January 1891 at the age of 33.  The official cause of death was listed as “heredity, chronic disease, overwork and sadness”.  

Johanna picked herself up and moved to Bussum (a suburb of Amsterdam) and ran a boarding house and eventually married John Cohen Gosschalk, a painter ten years younger than herself. Being very forward thinking, the new couple signed a pre-nuptial agreement stating the property they brought into the marriage would always remain separate. Jo not only had  hundreds of both paintings and drawings but also hundreds of letters between Vincent and Theo.

With all the paintings, Jo literally knocked on the door of every art gallery she came across. She began lending individual pieces out to museums for specific shows. Even though the art community did not welcome her, she never gave up.

FINALLY, in 1892 she arranged the FIRST formal exhibition of Vincent’s work at the Kunstzaal Panorama in Amsterdam. She also published a book of letters between Vincent and Theo in 1914.

She NEVER gave up. She promoted his work through her life. She died at the age of 62 (in Switzerland) with complications from Parkinson’s Disease.

Also – before her death, she moved Theo’s grave to lie next to Vincent in Auverse-sur-Oisa, the village north of Paris where Vincent spent the last 70 days of his life

SO – I think it is safe to say, without Jo Van Gogh Bonger, we probably wouldn’t know about Vincent today.

Also – her son Vincent inherited an estimated 200 paintings and 300 drawings and all the letters between the two brothers. He became a mechanical engineer, which gave him the financial stability that allowed him to focus on his uncle’s artistic legacy. He actually managed to negotiate with the Dutch Government to open the Van Gogh Museum in 1973 – one of the most popular museums in the world.

This is the first installment of the series WOMEN WHO CHANGED ART. Next up?  Self proclaimed “Art Addict” Peggy Guggenheim.

If you have any suggestions of anyone to include, let me know in the comments!!!!