Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch post-impressionist painter whose work had a great influence on 20th century art. He
suffered from frequent bouts of mental illness throughout his life and died,
largely unknown, at the age of 37 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His
fame grew in the years after his death. Today, he is widely regarded as one
of history’s greatest painters and an important contributor to modern art. His 
many pieces today, including his numerous self portraits and sunflowers
(as shown below), are among the world’s most recognizable and expensive
works of art.