Joan Martelli
The Widow Van Gogh
Welcome!
As a journalist and author, I’m excited to introduce my latest book, a revealing nonfiction narrative, The Widow Van Gogh, about the artistic legend, Vincent van Gogh, that puts his sister-in-law, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, center stage.
Featured Book
The Widow Van Gogh
Coming October 27, 2026!
On a stormy summer night in 1891, a young Dutch widow left her home and went for a walk outside alone in the rain. It was the anniversary of the death of her brother-in-law, Vincent van Gogh, and she was at the beginning of an improbable decades-long journey that would transform the ridiculed and unappreciated painter into one of the most beloved artists of all time.
The Widow Van Gogh: Tragedy, Triumph and the Who Made Vincent van Gogh a Legend: A Life of Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, is a vivid new nonfiction narrative about the complex relationship between Vincent van Gogh, his brother Theo, and Theo’s wife, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, who is reavealed to be the person most responsible for preserving and promoting Vincent van Gogh’s life story and legacy.
Jo’s story is fascinating and relatable, filled with heartbreak and courage. Just six months after Vincent died, Theo succumbed to a tragic illness, leaving Jo a young widow with a one-year-old child and a remarkable inheritance: hundreds of paintings, drawings, and letters by Vincent van Gogh. Her friends and family told her they were likely worthless, but Jo was convinced otherwise. Through her loving eyes, we get to see Vincent’s work and life more clearly than ever before, and knowing her story and role in the family helps answer three key questions about Vincent van Gogh: why did Vincent notoriously cut off his ear, why did he committed suicide, and how, after selling only one painting during his lifetime, did Vincent van Gogh become one of the most iconic artists of all time. Jo is the missing piece that helps answer all of those questions.
In Amsterdam, Bussum and Nuenen in the Netherlands; in Paris, Arles, Saint-Rémy de Provence, and Auvers-sur-Oise in France; and in London and New York – places I have travelled to better understand and describe the intersecting lives of Vincent, Theo, and Jo – I have met generous and enthusiastic guides, scholars and curious art lovers who always expressed surprise and interest when hearing about premise of my book. Jo van Gogh-Bonger was the woman whose life, judgment, and persistence helped carry Vincent van Gogh from private grief into public fame.
The Widow van Gogh is published by Pegasus Books and will be released in the US and Canada on October 27, 2026, and in the UK on December 3, 2026.
Drents Museum, the Netherlands
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Reader Response
Early Praise for The Widow Van Gogh
Deeply researched yet refreshingly free of stiff academic language, The Widow Van Gogh tells the compelling story of the complex relationships between Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Theo van Gogh, and Vincent van Gogh, and of the decades-long effort through which she preserved Vincent’s letters, work, and memory. Focusing on Jo, Martelli reveals a fascinating and deeply human portrait of a woman who devoted much of her life to advancing Van Gogh’s legacy.”—Jeff Koehler, James Beard Award-winning writer, author of Matisse in Morocco
I eagerly flew through the pages of The Widow van Gogh, captivated by the life of Johanna ‘Jo’ van Gogh-Bonger—from her youth in Amsterdam and the beaches of the North Sea to the streets of Montmartre as a young wife, and ultimately to her remarkable role as a widow shaping the legacy of one of history’s most beloved artists. —Genevieve Wheeler Brown, author of Beyond Blue and White
The life of Vincent Van Gogh looks feels vividly different in Martelli’s book. Seen through the eyes of his sister-in-law, Jo Van Gogh-Bonger, he’s less an inscrutable genius and instead a more familiar figure, a brilliant but wayward family tie. Martelli renders Van Gogh-Bonger’s tale with novelistic color, bringing her life and all those around her into sharp relief. A refreshing take.”—Morgan Falconer, author of How to Be Avante-Garde
In an imaginative and dynamic biography of one of art history’s under-appreciated figures, Martelli applies her tenacious investigative journalism skills to craft a vibrant portrait of a woman thrown into unimaginable circumstances. At once a tragic love story and inspiring tale of transformation, Martelli’s narrative sings with an engrossing prose style that reads more like historical fiction than biography. — Booklist, starred review
Author
Joan Martelli
Joan Martelli is an award-winning investigative journalist with more than twenty years of experience working for ABC, CBS, and PBS. Born in New York, she is a graduate of Dartmouth College and a Harvard Nieman Fellow. She currently lives in Europe with her husband and their black lab Ubba, splitting time between the Netherlands and France.
The Widow Van Gogh is her second book. She is also the author of The Law of Storms.
Previous Book
The Law of Storms
A non-fiction book that reads like a novel, telling the true story of the RMS Rhone, her rival captains, and a devastating 1867 hurricane.
On October 29, 1867, a powerful Category 3 hurricane made a direct hit on the Virgin Islands, sinking one of the world’s most luxurious passenger ships, the Rhone.
The Law of Storms is the fascinating true story of that ship, her two rival captains, and the critical role that both luck and skill played in their lives. It is also a riveting survival story and the account of a series of natural disasters: a hurricane, a yellow fever outbreak, an earthquake, and a tsunami all taking place in less than a month.
Author and award-winning journalist Joan Martelli dived into unique and difficult to access first-hand resource material to create a complete and captivating narrative of one of the world’s most dramatic shipwrecks.
What Readers said about The Law of Storms
The Law of Storms is a riveting page turner. I binge read it in one sitting because it was impossible to put it down.
Roberta Baskin, multi-award winning journalist
Researched long and thoroughly into the archives of accounts by survivors of those terrible disasters.
Stan Waterman, diving legend and Emmy award-winning cinematographer
History brought to life.
An excellent read.
Highly recommend!
A spellbinding tale!
Amazon reader reviews
An engaging story of one of the world’s most popular and dived wrecks.
Featured in the Rhone story
Robert Woolward
The charismatic first captain of the RMS Rhone, remembered as humorous, lucky, and an excellent navigator with experience navigating around storms.
John Bailey
A 16-year-old ship’s boy from Southampton, England, whose survival story became part of the historical record after the Rhone struck Black Rock Point.
Frederick Woolley
Captain of the Rhone during her tenth and final voyage, whose decisions during the hurricane of October 29, 1867 ultimately led to disaster.
The RMS Rhone
Today the Rhone rests in relatively shallow water near Tortola in the British Virgin Islands and remains one of the Caribbean’s most popular dive sites.
Contact
For The Widow van Gogh
Agent: Valerie Frankel (vfrankel@aevitascreative.com) at Aevitas Creative Management.
Publicist: Olivia St. Peter ( olivia@pegasusbooks.us) at Pegasus Books
Or to contact Joan directly please use the contact form below
For The Law of Storms
Please get in touch with Joan using the contact form below
