Gauguin Did It

Hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen. I'm about to knock your socks off with a new book that just came out.

It turns out that Vincent Van Gogh, famous Post-Impressionist, may not have cut his own ear off in 1888. Don't misunderstand-- his ear was cut off, but researchers Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans have just released a book, Van Gogh's Ear: Paul Gauguin and the Pact of Silence, which claims that Van Gogh's ear was actually taken off by fellow artist and sometime friend, Paul Gauguin. The story of self-harm was then fabricated by the two to keep Gauguin safe from the police. Van Gogh did apparently wrap the ear in a cloth and hand it to a prostitute named Rachel, as per tradition.

The researchers, who have worked on this for 10 years, cite inconsistencies in police and witness reports and the letters of Van Gogh and Gauguin. They say that Van Gogh and Gauguin were fighting and whether intentionally or not, Gauguin took off the ear with his sword. Despite these claims, the curators at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam hold with the self-harm theory. So we may never know the full truth of this legendary story.

As usual, I must thank Julianne for sending me this fabulous story! And a big Congratulations to her for recently passing her thesis defense on Whistler's Symphony in White, No. 1!!! Way to go Julianne!! :D