Lieuwe van Gogh (born in Amsterdam on 26 August 1991) is a Dutch painter. He had his first solo exposition in June 2022,[1] opened by cultural historian and State Secretary of Culture and Media Gunay Uslu.[2][3]
Lieuwe van Gogh | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 August 1991 Amsterdam |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Vincent van Gogh |
| Website | https://therealvangogh.com/ |
Lieuwe van Gogh was born the son of Theo van Gogh and Heleen Hartmans. His father's great-grandfather Theo van Gogh was the brother of Vincent van Gogh.
At school Lieuwe preferred to draw rather than play soccer, starting with dragons.[4]
On the day his father was murdered, Lieuwe was in his classroom, a few hundred meters from where his father was shot. He was able to hear the gunshots.[5] The day after his father's murder he painted a graffiti mural at his mother's home, but this painting was largely removed after they moved out.[6] Van Gogh obtained his Havo diploma [2] and studied arts for two years. After this he became a Thaiboxer in South-East Asia.[2]
In 2014 Van Gogh donated living cells to artist Diemut Strebe for creating a "living artwork", a replica of Vincent van Gogh's severed ear.[7][8]
Van Gogh worked 10 years as a chef. During the pandemic lockdowns he developed his own painting style.[2][4] Successful sales during his first solo exposition made him realize that his work had value.[4]
The Bed-Stuy Art Residency invited Van Gogh to paint in New York in the summer of 2022, and expose his work.[2]
He now uses the mayonnaise bottles he used as a chef, to spray paint on horizontal canvasses.[1][4] This allows him to work fast, without watching paint dry. Art historian Jhim Lamoree describes Lieuwe's work as 'vitalistic'.[2]