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He might not have sold many paintings, but after he died by suicide Monet saw Irises (I think) and remarked something like "How can someone who paints with such
by coldcode 4y ago
He might not have sold many paintings, but after he died by suicide Monet saw Irises (I think) and remarked something like "How can someone who paints with such joy be so sad". Selling art requires the right contacts, even today, and Vincent was unable to attract the right connections. If he had not shot himself, I think within a few years he would have been as famous as Monet.
- nemo44x 4y agoHis brother was a successful art dealer and helped Vincent out and believed in him, but wasn't able to get much traction with his work. He was pretty well connected in this way. However, he wasn't liked (Vincent) by many people and struggled to build valuable connections with other artists, etc. due to his awful personality, which was in large part due to his mental illness I'd assume. His brothers wife (his brother died from syphilis shortly after him) ended up with all his work and believed in it too. She was able to impress other with it and held a large show featuring his work a few years after his death and this is how he came into prominence.
- technothrasher 4y ago> Selling art requires the right contacts, even today I was talking to a friend of mine who is a reasonably famous and financially successful modern impressionist painter about the market selling his oil paintings. It’s more than just the right contacts, the entire thing sounds more awful than used car sales, honestly. Lots of game playing, politics, back stabbing, and scamming. Just asking him what I figured would be a straightforward question of what kind of percentage commission galleries charge led to about on hour long conversation that I could barely follow. The short version seemed to be that if you’re naive or trusting, you’re screwed.