homage to vincent
Dr. Arenberg's reverence of Vincent van gogh
These photos document my age-old fascination with van Gogh’s life story and his art starting in the 1960’s. This ongoing fascination manifested in over forty years of research, beginning in the 1980s when I first delved deeper into Vincent’s history to correct the diagnosis for his violent attacks in his last years. I was limited, when I addressed the correct clinical diagnosis of inner ear vertigo (Meniere’s disease), to only three pages in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association. On the day of the publication of this JAMA article, which coincided with the 100 year anniversary of Vincent’s death, I was invited to New York for a live interview with Paula Zahn on CBS This Morning (July 25, 1990).
Dr. I. Kaufman Arenberg interviews with Paula Zahn, CBS This Morning, July 25, 1990.
I have since wholeheartedly turned my attention to the Killing Vincent Project and its mission to exonerate the father of Expressionism from that mistaken concept of death by suicide. In overturning the suicide myth I have done his legacy justice. I have contributed, on several levels, to our better understanding of Vincent van Gogh by correcting the explanation and diagnosis for van Gogh’s “attacks” and hallucinations. My work in correctly identifying the artist’s inner ear vertigo (Meniere’s disease) as not epilepsy helped clarify what actually troubled him and that these attacks played no role in his death. The recent definitive suicide profile analysis by modern criteria dispels any remaining claims that Vincent was suicidal in his last weeks of life. I also have demonstrated that Vincent suffered from Aspergers syndrome, now categorized as a variant of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Despite the fear of creating a blasphemy against the legends of poor misunderstood Vincent, I will continue to diligently try to bring truth to our understanding of the life, loves and death of Vincent van Gogh! I welcome any open discourse on any level playing field to attain these goals.