Johanna Bonger

Dutch member of a noted family, the wife of the art dealer Theo van Gogh.

Jo Bonger was the the fifth daughter of the insurance broker Hendrik Christiaan Bonger (5 June 1828, Haarlem - 1904), and Hermine Louise Weissman (19 February 1831, Amsterdam - 18 June 1905). Of the ten children they got, three died early.

She studied English and became teacher English at age 22. Via her in Paris living brother Andries, she met Theo van Gogh, the brother of Vincent. Theo asked her to marriage her summer 1887, but she refused as she was in love with another. But her love was not answered, and she became emotionally upset. November 1888 she went to Paris and met Theo again. January 1889 they engaged and on 18 April 1889 she married Theo van Gogh in Amsterdam. They moved to the Cité Pigalle in Paris and got a son Vincent Willem van Gogh (31 Jan 1890, Paris –28 Jan 1978, Laren).

After the suicide attempt of her brother-in-law Vincent van Gogh (27 July 1890, Auvers, died 29 July), Theo became depressed. Theo suffered from syphilis and died of dementia paralytica on 25 January 1891 in Den Dolder. She returned to the Netherlands with her son and lots of then worthless letters and painting of Vincent van Gogh. She started to promote the work of Van Gogh and translated his letters in English (since 1915).

Between 1894 and May 1897 she had a love affair with the painter Isaac Israels. On 21 Augustus 1901 she married the painter and jurist Johan Cohen Gosschalk (3 Nov 1873, Zwolle - 18 May 1912, Amsterdam). They lived in the villa Eikenhof in Bussum, in 1903 they moved to Amsterdam. In 1905 they organised a major Van Gogh exhibtion in the Stedelijk museum of Amsterdam. In 1914 she published the letters of Vinncent to Theo. From 1915 till 1919 Bonger lived in New York, where she translated Vincent van Gogh letters in English. Piece by piece she sold the work, making sure that Vincent got International status.