Van Gogh's brother died six months after him, and Theo's widow built the reputation from the paintings she inherited

Vincent van Gogh sold very little in his lifetime^†. His brother Theo, an art dealer who had supported him, died in January 1891^†. Theo's widow, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, took possession of Vincent's paintings, drawings and letters, along with the brothers' collection of works by contemporaries; one source says she inherited virtually all of Vincent's work. She sold works selectively, nearly 200 between 1891 and 1925, and persuaded writers and critics to cover him. In 1905 she organised an exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam of 484 of his works. In 1914 she published his letters to Theo as Brieven aan zijn broeder. Her introduction was the main source on his life for years. She died in 1925 while translating the letters into English; the English edition appeared four years later. Her son, Vincent Willem van Gogh, kept the remaining collection together; it went to a family foundation and was placed in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam^†.