0:00:10.983,0:00:15.775 They're feeling sorry that I don't have a tattoo. [br]For first I'm not -- 0:00:16.823,0:00:20.464 I would like to take you back to 1887. 0:00:20.464,0:00:24.236 There is a young man in front of the door [br]of a woman, here in Amsterdam. 0:00:24.328,0:00:28.301 He has only seen her three times [br]during the past two years. 0:00:29.285,0:00:32.006 Her name is Johanna Bonger. 0:00:32.006,0:00:36.803 I think I have to show a picture of her. 0:00:38.095,0:00:39.965 Here she is. 0:00:40.027,0:00:41.367 He has only seen her three times, 0:00:41.367,0:00:43.799 but he already knows [br]that he's madly in love with her, 0:00:43.799,0:00:46.385 and wants to spend [br]the rest of his life with her. 0:00:46.385,0:00:51.027 She's an English teacher, but [br]unfortunately she has a secret love. 0:00:51.027,0:00:52.326 And she says no, 0:00:52.326,0:00:56.576 and this guy goes back [br]in the train to Paris disappointed, 0:00:56.576,0:01:00.441 where he lives [br]with his artist brother Vincent. 0:01:00.441,0:01:03.351 However destiny:[br]one year later they meet again in Paris. 0:01:03.351,0:01:08.223 She is single, and the artist has left [br]to the south of France. 0:01:08.223,0:01:10.329 And they fall in love,[br]and to make a long story short, 0:01:10.329,0:01:13.519 marry on 18 April '89. 0:01:13.519,0:01:16.831 And a happy life in Paris starts. 0:01:16.831,0:01:19.531 They meet a lot of friends and --[br] 0:01:20.388,0:01:25.447 her ideal was a life full [br]of intellectual stimulation, a social life 0:01:25.447,0:01:30.279 with friends around her [br]who were all working for a good cause. 0:01:34.172,0:01:37.144 And they have a baby a year later [br]and name him Vincent, 0:01:37.144,0:01:40.950 after the uncle[br]and uncle Vincent is tremendously happy. 0:01:40.950,0:01:45.391 And he sends "The Almond Blossom",[br]representing new life as a baby gift. 0:01:47.900,0:01:51.792 So you can imagine that it's a tragedy[br]when uncle Vincent dies a year later,[br] 0:01:51.792,0:01:53.836 in 1890. 0:01:54.990,0:01:57.905 And Theo, who was not only his brother [br]but also his best friend, 0:01:57.905,0:02:00.225 is heartbroken. 0:02:00.225,0:02:04.911 He has supported Vincent during his life,[br]he has encouraged him. 0:02:04.911,0:02:07.945 And so he becomes ill and he dies[br]half a year later. 0:02:07.945,0:02:11.143 And this young woman, Johanna Bonger[br]is suddenly left alone 0:02:11.143,0:02:13.814 and has to make a living [br]with her little boy. 0:02:13.814,0:02:15.778 And she does so by starting up 0:02:15.778,0:02:19.717 what we would call now [br]a bed-and-breakfast in Bussum, 0:02:19.717,0:02:22.640 where a lot of artists will stay,[br] 0:02:22.825,0:02:26.130 who will become later [br]a part of her network. 0:02:26.699,0:02:31.488 And she works as a translator, [br]but she also starts to continue the work of Theo. 0:02:31.704,0:02:35.223 And she starts to approach museums, [br]and galleries 0:02:35.223,0:02:39.502 and giving works in consignments[br]in order to promote the work of Vincent. 0:02:39.502,0:02:42.842 She also starts to type out [br]all the letters of Vincent. 0:02:42.934,0:02:48.687 And you can imagine no computers, [br]an old typewriter, that was a tremendous job. 0:02:48.687,0:02:52.978 She is watching all the refuse [br]about exhibitions on Vincent, 0:02:52.978,0:02:58.664 and commenting on them, [br]and trying to build her network in the art world. 0:02:58.664,0:03:01.378 And in the beginning [br]she's looked at with suspicion: 0:03:01.378,0:03:05.769 she's a woman, she's not an art historian,[br]she has no experience, 0:03:05.769,0:03:10.439 but she reads a lot, she learns a lot[br]and she's a really good negotiator. 0:03:10.439,0:03:13.356 So, she gains her respect in the art world. 0:03:13.356,0:03:18.784 And, when the first exibition is a fact, [br]she really has some power in the art world, 0:03:18.784,0:03:21.785 which is here in Amsterdam [br]in the Panorama Room. 0:03:21.785,0:03:26.306 Followed in 1905,[br]in the Stedelijk Museum -- our neighbors -- 0:03:26.306,0:03:30.522 with a real large exhibition, [br]over 400 works. 0:03:30.522,0:03:33.784 And this is very well received. [br]This time she does not have to beg again, 0:03:33.784,0:03:36.907 at the galleries and museums,[br]they will now come to her. 0:03:36.907,0:03:42.384 And large exhibitions will follow [br]in London and Germany. 0:03:42.384,0:03:45.450 We know that she was not only in it [br]for the money, 0:03:45.450,0:03:48.871 because sometimes art traders [br]would advise her to sell for a lower price, 0:03:48.871,0:03:50.528 in order to sell more. 0:03:50.543,0:03:55.063 Instead of that, [br]she raised the price. (Laughter) 0:03:55.063,0:03:59.304 So, her son would later call her [br]very independent woman. 0:03:59.304,0:04:02.066 And I think, she really was. 0:04:02.066,0:04:06.144 Well, she loves to travel,[br]she speaks four languages, 0:04:06.144,0:04:09.110 so she follows her son to Spain,[br]where he lives, 0:04:09.110,0:04:11.355 and later on to New York. 0:04:11.355,0:04:14.064 Then she starts to translate [br]the letters in English. 0:04:14.064,0:04:19.104 By the time she dies in 1925,[br]she has translated 0:04:19.104,0:04:23.943 562 of all the letters from Vincent to Theo[br]and vice versa. 0:04:23.943,0:04:29.496 And in 1914, she has published [br]the letters to his brother, 0:04:29.943,0:04:31.823 together with a biography, 0:04:31.823,0:04:35.475 which is still very useful [br]for our research today. 0:04:35.475,0:04:40.304 Well, I wanted to say, [br]but as Sylvana has said, that 0:04:40.304,0:04:44.579 without her,[br]we probably would not have been here today. 0:04:44.703,0:04:49.858 And Vincent might not be [br]as famous as he is today. 0:04:51.751,0:04:53.704 I should point that. 0:04:53.704,0:04:56.246 And I would like to share [br]a few words that have been put 0:04:56.246,0:05:00.992 by the two directors[br]of the World Library on her grave: 0:05:00.992,0:05:04.223 faithfulness, devotion and love. 0:05:04.223,0:05:08.225 And I believe that if we carry those with us,[br]we will also succeed. 0:05:08.225,0:05:10.363 Thank you.[br](Applause)