A Message from Luis Purón, Executive Director

Dear Patrons of the Arts:

Vincent Willem van Gogh is considered the most celebrated Dutch post-impressionist painter and among the most influential figures in the history of Western art.

One of my favorite van Gogh quotes is “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”  To the great master these weren't empty words.

He painted over 2,000 works of art in over a decade, including 800 oil paintings. These include still lifes, landscapes, portraits of other people and self-portraits. His art is distinguished by bold colors and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art.  The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is the preeminent place in the world to get inspired by the life and work of the Dutch artist. 

Often disregarding his physical health, van Gogh had a short and turbulent life and suffered from delusions and psychosis. During one of his seizures, he cut off his left earlobe which he later offered to a woman at a brothel. Due to major depression, van Gogh shot himself in the chest on July 1890. He died from the gunshot injuries two days later at the age of 37.

Though he was commercially unsuccessful during his lifetime, van Gogh is deemed as one of the most talented artists of all time. His works are among the most valuable paintings to have ever sold at auction with realized prices ranging from $10 to $80 million USD. Valued at 111 million USD, van Gogh's Starry Night (in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan), is one of the most recognizable paintings in Western art.

Despite van Gogh’s emotional and physical ailments, there were times he was actually happy. He was passionate about nature, he fancied insects and flowers and knew species by name. 

My second favorite quote by van Gogh is one worth embracing - “The way to know life is to love many things.”

Yours,

Luis Purón

Executive Director