The first definitive and full biography of Vincent van Gogh -- the man as well as the artist. Vincent van Gogh is one of the world's greatest artists. He produced almost 2,000 paintings, drawings and watercolours within a ten-year period. Yet until now no definitive biography of him has ever been written, the truth of his life overshadowed by the myth that has surrounded him since his suicide. This magisterial biography provides the first complete account of van Gogh's life and his art. In bringing to life this intelligent and literary artist, Hilton's sweeping account sheds new light on van Gogh's role in modern art. His hitherto unexplored relationship with literature is also described. Generous quotations from 600 letters between Vincent and his brother Theo provide a new anthology of his writing. Steps toward his suicide are traced, from his childhood in Zundert, Holland in the 1850s, through years spent in Paris, Victorian London, Brussels and Arles, to his death in Auvers-sur-Oise in 1890. Lavishly illustrated and scrupulously researched, this biography is a masterly account of the complete life of a great artist and a fascinating man.