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killing vincent:
the man, the myth, and the murder
manang muyang
july 18, 2019
Dr. Irving Kaufman Arenberg is on a mission: He wants Vincent van Gogh’s killers identified. Killers? But Vincent committed suicide, didn’t he? Well, the doctor’s book, Killing Vincent, convincingly tells a different story. Vincent was murdered, and the doctor has a good idea who killed him.However, Dr. Arenberg found many inconsistencies in the accounts of Vincent’s purported suicide. These nagged him to no end; thus, his 30-year quest for the truth about the famed painter’s death began. First, he studied the disease that caused Vincent’s sudden painful vertigo attacks which was misdiagnosed as epilepsy. As an ear doctor, Dr. Arenberg was able to come up with the correct diagnosis of Meniere’s disease. Then, he scrutinized the many written, at times conflicting, stories of Vincent’s last 70 days. Finally, he examined the painter’s mysterious mortal wound using the powerful tools of modern forensics.
I most heartily recommend this book. It will delight art enthusiasts, van Gogh followers, and true-crime fans. Those who enjoy the thrilling science of forensics will be ecstatic with the reenactments featured. For those who want more of the action, videos are available on the KVP website.
yoli García
may 10, 2019
His life was so tempestuous that Vincent has gone down in history as a madman and a genius who committed suicide by shooting himself in the abdomen. Most experts believe this suicide narrative, but recent research indicates that someone murdered the painter.
According to the author, Vincent came out of the asylum cured of his health issues; therefore, his last 70 days in Auvers-sur-Oise were “his calmest, most peaceful, and most productive time.” Also, the author believes that Vincent found love with the daughter of Dr. Paul-Ferdinand Gachet, the doctor taking care of him during that period.
After reading this fascinating book, I gained a comprehensive understanding of his life, work, and death.
the author convinced me of Vincent’s death being a murder rather than a suicide with his extensive and detailed research.Dr. Arenberg made a detailed analysis of Vincent’s last 70 days. He discussed thoroughly all of the individuals involved in the painter’s life at the time, like his brother Theo, Dr. Paul-Ferdinand Gachet, and Marguerite Gachet. Dr. Arenberg brought up the noteworthy testimonies of Adeline Ravoux, Madame Liberge, and Giselle Baize. He presented the reader with the possible suspects of the murder, like Paul Gachet Jr. and the Secrétan brothers. He explained which could have been their motives and which weapons they could have used. On top of all that, the author reenacted the murder scene with modern forensics. My favorite part about reading this book was my astonishment when I read the forensic evidence that supports the theory of murder. At that moment, I thought that the appropriate authorities needed to do an exhumation of Vincent’s body to confirm that someone murdered him.
I believe that Dr. Arenberg has made a significant contribution to the art and history worlds with this book.
the cartridge freedom act review
march 23, 2019
This book features various images of mine as well as some original research of mine related to pinfire cartridges. I was also able to supply Dr. Arenberg with hundreds of original-period 7mm pinfire cartridges to perform modern forensic testing to determine if the autopsy of Vincent van Gogh supports the narrative that van Gogh shot himself with a pinfire revolver.
“Dr. Irv Arenberg is a retired ear surgeon, author, editor of several medical books, and an innovator with multiple patents. In 1990 he entered the art history world when the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published his special communication that posthumously diagnosed Vincent van Gogh with Meniere’s disease, an inner ear disorder – that overturned the accepted perception that the artist had epilepsy, and more correctly explained his misdiagnosed “attacks”.
Dr. Arenberg has just finalized his most recent work, Killing Vincent: The Man, The Myth, and The Murder, a non-fiction art history expose, which sheds new light on the mysterious death of Van Gogh. Killing Vincent sets out to prove through 21st century forensic methodology that in 1890, Van Gogh did not commit suicide as is historically advocated. However, as suggested by Time Magazine, the world-renowned artist was murdered.”
Click here to view this review on the Cartridge Freedom Act Website
rebecca simms
february 17, 2019
“Dr. I. Kaufman Arenberg takes on a part of art history that has been accepted as truth for well over a century and totally debunks it”
~Ascot Media Group
Jeremy Hornibrook
january 28, 2019
Today, on Radio BBC, I heard Dr Arenberg describe Vincent’s death as “an honour killing”, presumably referring to the possible intention or request from Vincent to marry the Gachet’s daughter Marguerite. Very intriguing, but that is not part of the old story I learned.
One of the strangest aspects of the story of van Gogh’s mysterious death as we all knew it, was that there was never any suggestion of Vincent being upset with his doctor or his son, or of any special feelings for Marguerite. But of course, the false narrative came from Dr Gachet and his son and Johanna van Gogh-Bonger. All had their own reasons to spin the story away from the truth.
I am very curious to know if Dr. Arenberg will pursue the French authorities to allow a forensic research team access to Vincent’s grave sight to use modern technology to determine if there is still a bullet in Vincent. That would prove he was shot and eliminate the knife hypothesis, answering some of the unanswered questions about his death. Looking forward to being able to finally close the book on this unsolved homicide.
~Christchurch, New Zealand
diane donovan
january 23, 2019
Killing Vincent: The Man, The Myth, and The Murder disproves a common myth about the “mad artist”, Vincent van Gogh, and his “suicide”, making a case for a far different scenario surrounding his death. It’s a combination of true crime, and an unsolved romantic murder mystery. It is a psychological probe into history that is a ‘must’ for any reader interested in Vincent’s life and death.
Dr. Arenberg maintains that Vincent wasn’t a depressed and insane individual who shot himself in a wheat field. Instead, he was not “mad”. Yet, Vincent stumbled to his accommodations, bleeding from an abdominal wound that killed him. Who created that fatal injury? Did Vincent shoot himself? A modern forensic analysis confirms that the wound was not self-inflicted; therefore, not suicide, but murder.
Modern forensic science is applied to history in an intriguing manner, offering not just detailed insights on van Gogh’s death, but on the process of verifying historical facts and tackling long-cold cases of murder, suicide, or mysterious death.
One should be forewarned that this is no casual inspection. For example, research into and photographs of letters in Vincent’s own hand, documenting his ‘vertige‘ attacks, show how differences in translation approach and generic terms may have contributed to differences of interpretation that alter diagnoses, perspectives, and medical viewpoints.
Dr. Arenberg’s medical background is invaluable as he pursues an analysis that includes his opinion about Vincent’s attacks, his health, medical diagnosis, and the impacts of his recurrent disorder on his art. However, Dr. Arenberg maintains that Vincent’s medical issues did not impact his death. Dr. Arenberg pulls no punches in giving his opinion of popular and possibly erroneous conclusions of the past: “In contrast to being remotely suicidal, you have alternately to accept that this genius’s primary need was to create and capture all the beauty in the world that he saw so clearly. This unbelievable creative drive and process that generated one or two masterpieces a day would not willingly be snuffed out in any moment of despair.”
From an in-depth probe into the artist’s psyche, a new diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome emerged. In addition to progressive, investigative steps into physical evidence, such as the murder weapon, Dr. Arenberg leaves no stone unturned; whether it be forensic reenactments of the murder and discussions of the crime scene or examinations of motives and likely perps.
Color drawings throughout, created by artist Darrell Anderson specifically for the Killing Vincent Project, accompany the author’s location photos and images from new forensic studies.
The result is simply an unparalleled ‘must’, recommended not just for art enthusiasts, but for true crime and history readers interested in the process of re-examining a homicide cold case and its impact on modern-day audiences.
~Diane, Senior Editor, Midwest Book Review
james atlas
november 29, 2018
Carol Heppner
november 26, 2018
I first fell in love with the art of Vincent van Gogh during my first fine-art class. His paintings captured my imagination and his drawings were my tutors. Years later, my husband surprised me with a trip to the Vincent van Gogh museum in the Netherlands and the genius of the artist surrounded me and cemented my love of his artwork.
When I studied the life of Vincent, all literature of the time pointed to Vincent as a creative madman who took his own life. When I was offered the book, “Killing Vincent”, to review, I immediately said yes. Hearing that Vincent may have not taken his own life was an interesting concept to me.
“Killing Vincent” takes you into the last part of Vincent’s life and explores the evidence that suggests the murder of the talented artist. If you are an art history buff or find cold murder cases fascinating, check out this book today.
Twitter@queenofcr8tvty (over 105,000 followers)
jeryl marcus
november 20, 2018
Mom’s view: Today I am recommending Killing Vincent The Man, The Myth, and the Murder by I. Kaufman Arenberg, MD. This is a book that examines whether the artist Vincent Van Gogh who allegedly committed suicide may have really been murdered. The author does a terrific job of laying out his case in quite a detailed and convincing manner. At times, the book is somewhat redundant, and it could have been a bit shorter. However, for the most part it’s an extremely fascinating read that any art lover, history lover or mystery lover should enjoy.
View Jeryl’s Reviews at her and her daughter’s blog at https://saysmesaysmom.blogspot.com/
Margene McCollough
november 18, 2018
“This book [Killing Vincent] should be in your library. If you have even a passing interest in van Gogh, you’ll re-think everything you’ve heard before. You’ll learn more about his personal relationships as well as the evidence of his murder. Excellent historical account of the life and death of a fascinating man.”
Miriam Molina
november 17, 2018
“And when no hope was left inside on that starry, starry night, you took your life as lovers often do.”
So goes the line from Don Mclean’s hit song “Vincent (Starry Starry Night)” about the life and death of Vincent van Gogh, painter par excellence, and known as the art world’s “tortured soul.”
Dr. Arenberg, a retired ear surgeon and a van Gogh fanatic, begs to disagree. The final sentence of his preface resounds, “He was murdered.” Thirty years of studying Vincent’s short life of 37 years led Dr. Arenberg to that conclusion. His book presents his arguments to support this allegation; he explores the why, where, and how of the murder of this revered icon. He uses both the available historical evidence and the tools provided by modern forensic technology. Then he proposes a who! If you love art, know van Gogh, or enjoy forensics, this book will keep you hugely entertained.
Killing Vincent: The Man, the Myth, and the Murder is a fascinating book on many counts. It’s a virtual art gallery of Vincent’s works. He is known to have produced around 900 oil paintings during his painting years (only ten years); the book has around seventy of them. Awesome! The author recounts Vincent’s life, focusing on his last three days. I got to know the people contemporaneous to Vincent well, as if I were there watching them as they interacted. Vincent and beloved brother Theo, friend Paul Gauguin, doctor Paul Gachet and son Paul Jr., and model Adeline all come alive in the pages. Heaps of evidence debunking the suicide theory are in the book. The author definitely convinced me. I was almost moved to curse those scheming hypocrites who killed Vincent! The book is arranged methodically; one can easily navigate the pages and reread portions desired. Most chapters end with a helpful summary. The author’s unreserved admiration for Vincent shines through; it doesn’t hurt that I am a Vincent fan myself.
I support Dr. Arenberg’s dogged pursuit of the truth surrounding Vincent’s demise. He perseveres in clearing Vincent’s name of the stigma of suicide, although many in the art world think it “blasphemous” to say Vincent did not kill himself. Will any of the rich art collectors finance the further investigation of Vincent van Gogh’s death in 1890, so the truth can be told? I certainly hope so.
kirkus reviews
october 17, 2018
A debut work of historical investigation argues that the famous painter of The Starry Night was murdered.
Most historians believe that the clinically depressed Vincent van Gogh died in 1890 of wounds he had sustained when he shot himself in the abdomen with a revolver. Physician and amateur sleuth Arenberg feels differently. The great artist, the author argues, was the victim of a murder and coverup so devious that they have gone largely unsuspected for well over a century. “This intriguing and epic cold case of the death of Vincent van Gogh involves multiple theories and scenarios of what happened on July 27, 1890,” writes Arenberg. “With almost no agreed-upon facts, it remains one of the most enduring legends and enigmatic unsolved mysteries of art history.” Using modern forensic analysis, documents from van Gogh and his associates, and the most recent theories of experts, the author meticulously examines the case for suicide and accident, attempting to show the ways in which the record has been misinformed, misinterpreted, or ignored. He then chases down the various suspects that might have been involved, landing finally on those who he believes actually killed the man, offering their reasons for doing so and the ways in which they were able to keep the truth from the public. Arenberg’s prose is exact and excited, making it clear just how much fun he has had trying to solve the puzzle. “She was there and saw and heard everything!” he writes, defending the credibility of Adeline Ravoux, the subject of one of van Gogh’s paintings. “She has no obvious or nefarious agenda.” As with many conspiracy-minded books, this one sometimes gets lost in the weeds, slowing momentum and diffusing tension. The audience will likely think a tighter, less shaggy work would have been a better read. Even so, there is much to be learned about the artist’s milieu and his final days, and the author enjoyably transforms some of the famous faces in van Gogh’s portraits into whodunit suspects. Fans of the revisionist theory genre should enjoy this earnest work in which the pleasure lies not in the truth but in the uncertainty.
Officer.com
october 12, 2018
Vincent van Gogh’s death in July 1890 has always been believed to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound into his belly. This 19th-century suicide theory has come under recent scrutiny when TIME magazine, on their October 31, 2011, cover, asked the question, “Who Killed van Gogh?” and then followed up with their culture cover, “Was van Gogh’s Death Really a Suicide?”
I. Kaufman Arenberg, MD, a prominent (retired) ear surgeon, has been publishing on van Gogh ever since he wrote a cover-featured “Special Communication” article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). This report, whose publication coincided with the 100th anniversary of Vincent’s death in July 1990, corrected the old misdiagnosis for Vincent’s noteworthy “attacks”—attributing them to an inner-ear disease (Meniere’s disease) and not to epilepsy. He never believed at that time that van Gogh committed suicide.
Now, from that same doctor, comes another stunner: His analysis and new, 21st-century forensic evidence strongly suggests the artist was a victim of murder.
In his new book, Killing Vincent: The Man, the Myth and the Murder, Arenberg invites readers to examine the evidence he’s unearthed since the JAMA article was published, while calling for a more thorough look into this cold case using 21st-century forensic simulations and reenactments with the same antique revolver that might have been used in the murder, vintage black powder bullets and FBI ballistic gel.
Arenberg has continued his groundbreaking research to this day and, in his book, he shares the evidence he’s unearthed since his revelations in 1990. Arenberg says his research strongly suggests that the artist may have been murdered and that an elaborate scheme was concocted to make it appear that he committed suicide.
Did van Gogh take his own life in a fit of madness? Or did something much more sinister happen to one of the world’s greatest visionaries?
“Everyone is fascinated and intrigued by the iconic Vincent,” said Arenberg. “But when you substitute premeditated murder and an elaborate cover-up, then add to that an intriguing romantic twist that could provide a motive for his murder—you will really have everyone’s attention!”
View the review at https://www.officer.com