"For well over a century it was a family secret: Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law, Jo Bonger, had a short relationship with the Dutch Impressionist painter Isaac Israëls. Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum has just published the surviving sent by Israëls to Bonger, and is presenting a about their "intimate friendship'. Captivated by Vincent: The Intimate Friendship of Jo van Gogh-Bonger and Isaac Israëls (until 25 January 2026) is not just about the relationship, but equally importantly it covers its impact of Van Gogh's art on Israëls."
"Isaac Israëls (1865-1934), the son of the distinguished artist Jozef Israëls (1824-1911), first met Bonger briefly in September 1889 through her newly-married husband Theo van Gogh, Vincent's brother. Vincent then died by suicide in July 1890 and Theo in January 1891, probably from syphilis. It was not until 1895 that Bonger and Israëls got to know each other well, when he was aged 29 and she 32."
Van Gogh Museum published surviving letters from Isaac Israëls to Jo Bonger and mounted an exhibition, Captivated by Vincent: The Intimate Friendship of Jo van Gogh-Bonger and Isaac Israëls (until 25 January 2026). Israëls incorporated major Van Gogh paintings into the backgrounds of several portraits, a technique he called "Vincenting." Twelve of seventeen such portraits are now gathered for the first time; five remain in unknown private collections. Israëls first met Bonger in 1889 via Theo van Gogh. Vincent died in July 1890 and Theo in January 1891. Bonger and Israëls became close in 1895 and later had a brief physical relationship; Bonger described it as "just an impulse" and removed three lines from her diary.
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