LONDON, May 5 (UPI) -- A new book suggests Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh lost his ear in a scuffle with fellow painter Paul Gauguin outside of a brothel.
It has long been believed the mentally ill Van Gogh cut off his own ear in 1888.
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1 of 3 | SLP2001022812- 28 FEBRUARY 2001- ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, USA: Visitors attending the Vincent van Gogh exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum, gaze at the famous self-portrait of the artist, painted in 1888, in St. Louis, Missouri, February 28, 2001. The exhibition, Vincent van Gogh and the Painters of the Petit Boulevard, features nearly 70 paintings and works on paper by Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries. The St. Louis Art Museum is this exhibitions only U.S. stop. bg/Bill Greenblatt UPI | License Photo
"In Van Gogh's Ear: Paul Gauguin and the Pact of Silence," which is purported to be based on the original police investigation into the matter, contends that accomplished fencer Gauguin sliced the ear off Van Gogh with a sword, the BBC said.
German academics Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans reportedly spent a decade studying police records, witness accounts and letters sent by the two artists.
The authors ultimately concluded Gauguin was responsible for cutting off Van Gogh's ear, which the injured artist apparently handed to a prostitute named Rachel. The painters then told the police Van Gogh cut it off himself to protect Gauguin from prosecution, the BBC quoted the authors as saying.
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