Mission statement
the KILLING VINCENT PROJECT (KVP)
The mission of the Killing Vincent Project (KVP), since its inception, has been to clarify the many misunderstandings and misdiagnoses, purposeful or otherwise, about the amazing life, art, loves, and mysterious death of Vincent van Gogh. His medical issues and his mysterious death, so long believed to be a suicide, have garnered much ink. We have contributed to many new studies and other critical insights to better understand Vincent’s life and connect all the dots.
Goals and challenges
The first major goal of this project is to determine if Vincent van Gogh’s death was really a suicide as legend would have you believe, possibly an accident, or a likely murder and cover-up. So very little is indisputably known today about his mythical death, yet so much is well known, by comparison, about his life. If I can convince you that Vincent did not commit suicide, then the second major goal becomes a critical evaluation of all the persons of interest in this epic cold case. The third major goal is to solidify the case against suicide with additional, modern forensic evidence: simulations of the day Vincent was injured using the same antique model gun, reenactments of firing that gun with vintage black powder bullets, and then a detailed forensic analysis of the signature powder burn that the gun would have left behind in FBI clear ballistic gel that 100 percent consistent with human tissue. All of the new forensic studies are documented in photos and videos.
We will look at his medical, mental, and physical health, his state of mind, the people he associated with, and the motivations that those people might have had to kill Vincent—or that Vincent might have had to kill himself. Ideally, we can eliminate all of the old information and revisit the big picture with our pre-existing bias left outside the covers of this book. A reexamination of all the pertinent evidence will allow you, the reader and jury, to make your own judgment in this case. We can explore all aspects of this infamous cold case together and then you can, with a more expansive and comprehensive perspective, decide for yourself who is responsible for the death of Vincent van Gogh.
If this false suicide theory is finally put to rest—as is my intent, based on this recent analysis combined with the newer, in-depth forensics presented toward the end of this book—then a serious look at his death as an unsolved homicide must now be vigorously pursued. “Blasphemy” it may be to some, but truth ultimately must prevail: Vincent van Gogh did not commit suicide as the legendary myth would have you believe with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his abdomen. He was murdered.
Killing Vincent Is A Continuation Of dr. arenberg's Previous Work
Dr. Arenberg had a dramatic introduction into what would become his life’s work when he was young, having witnessed the unexpected collapse of his friend’s mother. He found out the cause was a condition known as Meniere’s Disease, an inner ear condition that causes sudden unexpected vertigo. He entered school to become a doctor specializing in ear conditions. He completed his residency in 1974 and eventually became one of the leading experts of the disease, having developed groundbreaking treatments that changed many patients’ lives.
Enthusiasm
Dr. Arenberg, an art enthusiast, realized that contrary to popular belief, Vincent van Gogh’s well-known health woes did not match up with diagnosis of epilepsy, but actually was more likely caused by Meniere’s disease. As a lover of van Gogh’s art, as well as an expert on the condition he knew the artist to have suffered from, Dr. Arenberg began to research van Gogh’s life and letters in depth.
Affliction
In 1990, in observance of the occasion of the 100-year anniversary of Vincent van Gogh’s death, Dr. Arenberg published his theory about the artist’s affliction, which became the cover story of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Research
Further intrigued by the other mysteries in van Gogh’s life, Dr. Arenberg continued his research, focusing on the unusual circumstances of the artist’s final days before his unexpected death in 1890.
Launch
The Killing Vincent Project will present these findings in a trilogy of books available in e-book and print. It will also feature interactive elements, including social media platforms, allowing readers to interact and discuss the various theories about van Gogh’s life and death, allowing them to vote on who may have killed the beloved painter.
going forward
The commitment of the Killing Vincent Project Team is ongoing in the pursuit of truth for presenting the most accurate legend of Vincent van Gogh for all art lovers to appreciate.