Experts dispute claims Van Gogh was murdered, back suicide theory
Two research experts from Amsterdam’s Van Gogh museum have debunked a controversial theory that the painter did not commit suicide but was murdered by someone he knew.
The murder theory was outlined in a biography of the painter published in October 2011 by prize winning authors Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith.
At the time, the museum said the theory was ‘intriguing’ but that plenty of questions remained unanswered. Now its experts have concluded the claim of murder does not add up, the Independent newspaper reported.
More than that, the chain of events which led to Van Gogh’s suicide are ’eminently defensible, both psychologically and historically’.
These include the nature of the bullet wound, his relationship with his brother and a letter found in his pocket, the paper said.
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