Jo van Gogh and Vincent van Gogh: The Woman Who Built an Artist’s Legacy

Vincent van Gogh is often remembered as the isolated, misunderstood artist whose genius was recognized only after his death, but his legacy did not emerge on its own. Author Joan Fernandez explores the remarkable role of Jo van Gogh-Bonger in preserving and promoting Vincent’s work, challenging familiar myths and revealing how her persistence, strategy, and storytelling helped transform him into one of the world’s most recognizable artists.

Key Topics

• Jo van Gogh-Bonger’s role in building Vincent van Gogh’s legacy
• Challenging the myth of the isolated “mad genius”
• Preserving and promoting Vincent’s art after his death
• Jo’s life as a widow, mother, and advocate for Vincent’s work
• Strategy, storytelling, and the creation of an artistic legacy
• Recovering overlooked women from the historical record
• Balancing historical evidence and imagination in historical fiction

Guest Bio

Joan Fernandez is a historical fiction author and speaker whose work explores the intersection of history, storytelling, and marketing. Drawing on three decades of experience in corporate marketing, she is the author of Saving Vincent: A Novel of Jo van Gogh, which explores Jo van Gogh-Bonger’s role in preserving and building Vincent van Gogh’s legacy. She also writes the Substack Digging In with Joan Fernandez.

Connect with Joan: Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Substack

Saving Vincent: Paperback | Ebook | Simon & Schuster

Books Mentioned: Heroines of Mercy Street by Pamela Toler Paperback | Ebook

Connect with Holley: Buy Me A Coffee | Website | LinkedIn

Listen on YouTube: Channel