If you ask someone to name the most famous artist in history, most people would probably throw our Vincent van Gogh’s name.

His art and his life story has cemented him in the heart and imaginations of people across the world. Yet, a definitive biography of his life and work did not exist.

Two authors dug deeper to learn about the great van Gogh than anyone else had ever done before, and the result is the more than 900-page, fascinating work, “Van Gogh: The Life.”

This is not the first time authors Steven Naifeh (pictured above, right) and Gregory White Smith (left) have taken a closer look at a famous author’s life. Twenty years ago, the duo won the Pulitzer Prize for their book on Jackson Pollock.

Naifeh tells Growing Bolder that they were shocked that there were no definitive bios on these two giants of the art world.

The world is paying attention now. After the release of their van Gogh book, Naifeh said actor Kirk Douglas sent word through a friend that he wanted a signed copy of the book. Douglas’s portrayal of van Gogh in the 1950s, which was based on a book written in the ’30s, helped lock in the essence of van Gogh in the minds of many.

Naifeh says it’s wonderful and engaging performance but it wasn’t related closely to van Gogh’s life.

The authors wanted to clear up a lot of the myths surrounding van Gogh and once and for all, help the world understand this genius.

Find out some of the mythology busting details they uncovered and find out if it will inspire a new movie version.