Pierre Brassau burst upon the art world at a Swedish art show in 1964. The critics were nearly unanimous in their glowing reviews. Newspaper art critic Rolf Anderberg gushed over the paintings of the unknown French artist. He wrote, “Pierre Brassau paints with powerful strokes, but also with clear determination. His brush strokes twist with furious fastidiousness. Pierre is an artist who performs with the delicacy of a ballet dancer.”
Artist Destroys $1.4 Million Painting
Cecilia Giménez was a devout churchgoer in the town of Borja. The 81-year-old Spaniard was also an art lover. After seeing that the 120-year-old painting on a local church’s wall was in poor shape, she picked up a brush and got to work. She began trying to restore the painting of Jesus Christ. She liberally applied paint in an attempt to restore Christ’s face. The results were terrible.
Van Gogh’s Ear Is Reborn
On a cold winter night in 1888, Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear with a razor blade. He wrapped it in a cloth and brought it to a brothel. He gave the bloody ear as a token of love to a prostitute named Rachel, who fainted when she saw it. Van Gogh returned home and almost bled to death. This is the most common story of Van Gogh’s famous fit of madness, but there are competing theories.