The incarnation of the myth of a cursed artist, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) is a legend who became a reference for modern art. An Expressionist during the Post-Impressionist movement, his art was misunderstood during his lifetime. In Holland, he partook in the Dutch realist painting movement by studying peasant characters. Anxious and depressed, Vincent van Gogh produced more than 2000 artworks, yet sold only one in his lifetime. A self-made artist,...

Piet Mondrian: A Life is the first dedicated biography of Piet Mondrian to be published in English. Hans Janssen's remarkable book provides a long overdue, in-depth and compelling account of the life of perhaps the most influential abstract artist of the 20th century. Janssen, former chief curator at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag -- home to the world's largest collection of Mondrian works -- draws on his own research and that of a cohort of distinguished...

"In the seventeenth century some of the most advanced painting in Europe was produced in the Netherlands. Rembrandt dominated the radical progress of painting in Amsterdam, and Vermeer did so in Delft. Frans Hals led the vanguard in Haarlem where he painted some of the most animated, individualized portraits of the era, or of any era, for that matter. Now, Steven Nadler has produced the first biography of this elusive Dutch artist to be published...

"'I believe in the absolute necessity of a new art of colour, of drawing and -- of the artistic life,' Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo in 1888. 'And if we work in that faith, it seems to me that there's a chance that our hopes won't be in vain. 'His prediction would come true. In his brief and explosively creative life -- he committed suicide a few years later at the age of thirty-seven -- Van Gogh made us see the world in a new way. His...

Van Gogh remains the ultimate example of the tortured artistic genius. His entire life was a struggle against poverty and mental disorder. But the hundreds of canvases that he painted prior to his death are today recognized as masterpieces.

"Little Vincent was a quiet child. He loved spending time in nature and playing with his brother Theo. After leaving school, he began working as an art dealer. Vincent showed promise, but he found it more and more difficult to control his emotions and eventually had to leave. He had a go at many different jobs, including a teacher and a bookseller, but nothing felt right. When he wasn't working, he wrote Theo long letters that included beautiful drawings....