Maison Van Gogh

About

Maison Van Gogh (lit. 'Van Gogh House') is a small historic house museum located in Cuesmes, near Mons, in Belgium associated with the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). As a young man, Van Gogh pursued a career as a Protestant preacher and evangelist among the largely Catholic coal miners working the Borinage between 1878 and 1880. After moving between a few houses in nearby villages, he moved in as a lodger to the household of the miner Charles Decrucq and his family at Cuesmes in 1880 where he lived for several months. The house was known locally as the Maison de Marais (lit. 'Marsh house'). This period is particularly notable in Van Gogh's biography because it was likely at Cuesmes in August 1880 that he decided to abandon his missionary career and become a professional artist.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.