And there were references by each of the artists suggesting a complexity beyond the official story.

Vincent van Gogh had a strong infatuation with Gauguin. Speculation supporting the official tale of Vincent slicing off most of the ear in a fit of madness and then presenting it to a prostitute, is as debatable as the version of Gauguin doing the deed.įollowing ten years of researching police reports, letters and other biographical material, the historians concluded that in order to keep Gauguin out of jail and in an attempt for Vincent to maintain the friendship, the two artists conspired to a crime cover-up and to remain quiet about the incident for the remainder of their lives - in a “pact of silence.” They report that at the time of the incident: Vincent was not yet mad, but only experienced seizures. No one witnessed the actual event. So say two German art historians, Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans,* who argue that Paul Gauguin, not Vincent, sliced off most of van Gogh’s ear with a rapier, either in anger or self-defense, perhaps accidentally, in a heated disagreement. Then again, he might not have cut off most of his left ear. Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890): Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889.

Breaking the quiet 3 f95zone