Vincent van Gogh and his brother Theo are both buried in the cemetery at Auvers-sur-Oise. Following in the footsteps of his uncles, Theo was an art dealer who supported Vincent financially with a monthly stipend throughout Vincent's career as an artist. Eventually it was agreed that in exchange for the money he received, Vincent would turn over his production to Theo to help build an art collection jointly held by the two brothers. Few casual observers realize that none of Vincent's paintings would likely exist had he not had the financial support of his brother.

Vincent was often combative and an incredible burden to Theo while he was alive. When Vincent was living in Theo's Paris flat and hanging out with a group of artists including Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec and others who would regularly get together to discuss art and lament their dismal financial prospects, it was agreed at one point that Theo should somehow support them all. But Emile Bernard, an artist friend who attended Vincent's funeral, wrote in detail about it and reported that Theo was overcome with grief. Theo's own health rapidly declined, and he died less than six months after Vincent.

Le Cimetière

The cemetery is located on Rue Emile Bernard about a 1/4 mile outside the village. Follow the road uphill and away from Notre Dame d'Auvers and out into the fields. After you round a corner you'll see the stone wall that surrounds the cemetery in the distance. As you walk down the road, in the field to your left is a placard that commemorates the site where it's surmised Vincent set up his easel to paint Wheat Field with Crows. On the right just before the cemetary is the motif for Landscape at Auvers in the Rain.

The graves are easy to find. As you walk in the front gate, they're about half way down on the left hand side, up against the stone wall. No grand monuments here, just two simple headstones surrounded by ivy, stark in their simplicity. Each headstone simply says, ici repose (here lies), with their names and years of their birth and death.

Due to Vincent's suicide, there was some controversy about his being buried here. The Catholic church of Auvers refused to allow it, but the nearby township of Méry, however, agreed to allow the burial and the funeral was held on July 30, 1890. Theo was originally buried in Utrecht, The Netherlands, but in 1914 his widow Johanna had Theo moved to his brother's side. A thatch of ivy from Dr. Gachet's garden was planted, and a rich thicket now intertwines the two graves, linking the two brothers in death as they were in life. I found this to be a beautiful, peaceful little place.