Cold Case Geschichte S01E02 - A Shot In A Starry Night – The Case Of Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh is one of the most important artists in human history. His painting style was revolutionary, his brushwork unique, his play of colors unrivaled. But Van Gogh was also a difficult character. Insecure, manic, extreme. The painter always lived and worked on the borderline between genius and madness. And this madness drove him to suicide with a death wish. This has been the official thesis of experts for more than 100 years.

Biographer Steven Naifeh disagrees with this view. He wants to prove that van Gogh didn't fire the shot himself, but that it came from a 16-year-old boy named René Secrétan, who always carried a gun and liked to wave it around in a cowboy costume. Possibly, according to his theory, van Gogh was accidentally shot.