Lieuwe van Gogh was born in
Amsterdam to film director
Theodoor “Theo” van Gogh and Heleen Hartmans. Van Gogh’s great-great-grandfather,
Theo van Gogh, was an art dealer and the brother of painter
Vincent van Gogh. In school, Van Gogh preferred drawing to playing soccer, and particularly enjoyed drawing dragons. Van Gogh was in class a mere few hundred meters from his father on
the day he was murdered—he was able to hear the gunshots. The day after his father's murder, he painted a graffiti mural at his mother's home, which was largely removed after they moved out. Van Gogh obtained his
Havo diploma and studied arts for two years. After this, he became a
Thaiboxer in South-East Asia. He also worked 10 years as a chef. In 2014, Van Gogh donated some of his living cells to artist Diemut Strebe for creating a "living artwork", a replica of Vincent van Gogh's severed ear. During the
COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, he developed his own painting style. Successful sales during his first solo exposition made him realize that his work had value. The Bed-Stuy Art Residency invited Van Gogh to paint in New York in the summer of 2022 and exhibit his work. ==Style==