Vincent van Gogh's story is one of the most ironic in art history. He lived an unhappy and difficult life during which his work received almost no appreciation - finally killing himself by a bullet to the chest, so great was his despair - and is now widely considered one of the most important painters of all time, his works fetching record prices of tens of millions of dollars at auction.

This comprehensive study of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) represents a rarity in art history: a detailed monograph on his life and art combined with a complete catalogue of his 871 paintings. This volume also reproduces most of van Gogh's paintings in colour for the first time.

From the early gloom-laden paintings to the works of his final years under a southern sun in Arles

"This man will either go insane or leave us all far behind," prophesied the great Impressionist Camille Pissarro. The man was Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), a vicar's son born at Groot-Zundert near Breda in Holland, who at that time was struggling to find buyers for his paintings. Van Gogh did indeed go at least to the brink of insanity. And he has long been recognised as one of the greatest modern artists. Van Gogh, who followed a variety of professions before becoming an artist, was a solitary, despairing and self-destructive man his whole life long. His truest friend was his brother Theo, who supported him unstintingly throughout and followed him to the grave just six months later.

This richly illustrated study by two experts on van Gogh follows the artist from the early gloom-laden paintings in which he captured the misery of peasants and workers in his home parts, through the bright and colourful paintings he did in Paris, to the work of his final years under a southern sun in Arles, where he at last found the light that produced the unmistakable van Gogh style. At Arles, Saint-Rémy and Auvers-sur-Oise, in the feverish burst of creative energy that marked the last two and a half years of his life, he produced the 463 paintings on which his immortality rests. Van Gogh craved recognition during his lifetime but was denied it till after his self-inflicted death. Today he is universally seen as one of the great forerunners of 20th-century painting, and one of the tragic masters of art.

The authors:

Rainer Metzger studied art history, history and German studies in Munich and Augsburg. He received his doctorate in 1994 and has worked as a fine arts journalist for the Viennese newspaper Der Standard. He has written numerous books on art, including volumes on van Gogh and Chagall.

Ingo F. Walther (1940-2007) was born in Berlin and studied medieval studies, literature, and art history in Frankfurt am Main and Munich. He has published numerous books on the art of the Middle Ages and of the 19th and 20th centuries. Walther's many titles for TASCHEN include Picasso, Art of the 20th Century, and Codices Illustres.

"This man will either go mad or he will outstrip us all." Such was the fate that Camille Pissarro, the great Impressionist painter, predicted for his colleague Vincent van Gogh, a struggling artist still vainly seeking a buyer for his pictures. He was to prove right on both counts.

Van Gogh was born in Groot-Zundert, near Breda, the eldest son of a Dutch pastor. He tried his hand at numerous professions, working as an art dealer, a teacher, a lay preacher and a book-seller before finally embarking, largely self-trained, upon a career as an artist. All his life, however, he remained a solitary and despairing figure, and his self-destructive nature drove him in his later years to the brink of madness.

Feeling himself alone in the world, his only true friend and source of moral and financial support was his brother Theo, who attended van Gogh's welfare throughout his life and who would ultimately follow him, within the space of six short months, to the grave. The recognition and admiration for which van Gogh fought so bitterly would only be granted him after the self-inflicted revolver shot which ended his tragic life.

Today, van Gogh is not only considered the most important pioneer of 20th-century art, but is widely regarded as one of the most significant and best-loved painters in the entire history of art.

Images included:
The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum in Arles, 1888
Self-Portrait with Straw Hat, summer 1887
Vase with Irises against a Yellow Background, Saint-Rémy, May 1890
Vincent's Bedroom in Arles, 1899
Wheat Field with Cypresses, 1889
The Church at Auvers, 1890
Drawbridge at Arles. "Pont de Langlois", 1888
Sower (after Millet), 1888
Irises, 1889
Noon: Rest from Work (after Millet), 1890
The Yellow House (Vincent's House), 1888
Vase with twelve Sunflowers, 1888
Thatched Cottages in Cordeville, 1890
Starry Night, 1888

About the Series:
TASCHEN portfolios feature high quality prints that beg to be framed. Tucked in each portfolio are 14 large-format reproductions, each with a brief description. Guaranteed to brighten any day, they also make great gifts for art lovers!

Это наиболее полное издание о жизни и творчестве Винсента Ван Гога. Авторы прослеживают весь жизненный пусть художника, рассказывают о его семье, друзьях, любимых женщинах. Причины жизненных неудач художника, как, впрочем, и его последующего стремительного восхождения на вершину славы, кроются отнюдь не в его сознательной изоляции от мира. Напротив, Ваг Гог всегда испытывал страстное желание быть признанным, при том что общество было не готово принять его искусство. Он был рожден в век, когда люди впервые в истории остро ощутили конечность своего существования, непреодолимое одиночество каждого в этом мире. Винсент был поистине сыном своей эпохи, породившей много странных и даже деструктивных личностей. Он так и не осознал всей мощи своей гениальности, которая сделала его после смерти необычайно популярным во всем мире. Приложения включают биографию, документальные фотографии, библиографию, сравнительную таблицу по наиболее полным каталогам произведений Ван Гога, именной указатель и указатель картин.

Книга о голландском художнике Винсенте Ван Гоге (1853–1890).

Он в жизни был полным неудачником. Так считали его современники. Он не смог обзавестись семьей, не умел сохранить возле себя друзей и вечно нуждался в деньгах. Талант Ван Гога был признан только после его смерти. Ранее гонимый Винсент теперь стал героем, большая часть его наследия считается собранием превосходных творений.

Искусство живописца, столетие назад находившегося на периферии художественного творчества, и сам Ван Гог, бывший вне общества, сегодня стали необычайно знамениты. Его произведения являют собой воплощение мирской неудовлетворенности, которая теперь охватила всех. Людям импонирует образ одинокого непонятого художника. И Ван Гог, образец совершенства в искусстве, стал одним из мучеников авангарда. Несмотря на хаос, окружавший его в реальности, в своих картинах он выражал собственную идею соразмерности, которую ощущал во Вселенной, во множественности ее проявлений и противоречий. Его искусство было попыткой упорядочить мир. Он не ставил перед собой задачи укрыться от реальности и не стремился сознательно занять позицию страдальца в жизни, напротив, он был неистово увлечен идеей воплотить мир в ярких, осязаемых образах.

Издание состоит из четырех глав, рассказывающих о жизни художника и об истории создания каждой картины, представленной в издании. В конце книги приводится хронология жизни и творчества мастера, проиллюстрированная документальными фотографиями.

Посмотреть англоязычное издание книги Ван Гог - Van Gogh