The exhibition seeks to answer questions such as why Van Gogh cut off his ear, and the precise nature of his mental illness that made him commit suicide at the age of 37 in Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris. Here Van Gogh can be seen with a bandaged ear in Emile Schuffenecker's "Man with a Pipe" from 1892-1900, which is exhibited in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

A fascinating exhibition piece is a recently-discovered letter from Felix Rey to American writer Irving Stone. The doctor treated Van Gogh after he cut off his left ear while living in Arles. The letter includes drawings showing that Van Gogh cut off his entire left ear and not, as was long believed, just part of it. The letter can be seen in the Bancroft Library of the University of California.

Van Gogh's portrait of Rey is on display for the first time at the museum, as well as some previously unexhibited documents about his illness. The doctor's letter was recently found by amateur historian and author Bernadette Murphy, while researching her book on Van Gogh. The painting of Dr Félix Rey from January 1889 is normally on display in the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow.

The exhibition offers a range of diagnoses throughout the years for Van Gogh's mental illness. However, "an unambiguous and definitive answer to the question of his precise illness cannot be given," the museum stresses. Pictured is Vincent van Gogh's "The Garden of the Asylum," from November - December 1889, where Van Gogh had voluntarily admitted himself.

The Van Gogh Museum is organizing a symposium on Van Gogh's illness, to coincide with the exhibition. It will mostly deal with the question whether there is a relationship between madness and creativity. Pictured here is Van Gogh's "Entrance to a Quarry" from July 1889, which is a part of the exhibition.

In the final 18 months of his life, Van Gogh was plagued by a sporadic and unpredictable illness. Each episode left the artist confused and unable to work for day or weeks. Between the attacks, he continued to paint and draw. His work seems to have been the best remedy in his struggle with his illness. Pictured is his "Wheatfield with a Reaper" from September 1889, part of the exhibition.

The exhibition "On the Verge of Insanity" tries to show that Van Gogh's art "ought not to be viewed as a product of his illness, but arose in spite of his condition," the museum says about this unique exhibition. Pictured here is Van Gogh's final painting from July 1890, "Tree Roots," which is also part of the exhibition.

One of the most interesting exhibition pieces is a revolver believed to have been the weapon Van Gogh used to shoot himself. The artist shot himself in the chest on July 27, 1890 but managed to stumble back to the inn before succumbing to his wound 30 hours later. At the time the suicide weapon was not found. Around 1960, a farmer discovered a rusty gun in the fields where Van Gogh shot himself.

The limited firepower of the revolver offers a possible explanation for why a bullet fired at such close range glanced off a rib. The bullet was deflected downwards and was lodged too deep to be removed without danger, as a result of which Van Gogh died of his wound some 30 hours later. Pictured is the funeral card for the death of Vincent van Gogh from July 1890.

He's famous for painting sunflowers, chopping off his ear - and revolutionizing modern art. Vincent van Gogh committed suicide 125 years ago. His work still dazzles us to this day.

Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853. He was given the name of the son in the family who died on the very same day the previous year. He had five brothers and sisters - and he regularly corresponded throughout his life with his brother Theo, who was four years younger. Vincent grew up with his parents in the parish home of Zundert (pictured) and described his youth as "bleak and cold."

Vincent was seen as a failure in the eyes of his family. Every profession he tried his hand at - be it art dealer, naval officer or lay preacher - he soon abandoned. When he moved to the small Belgian mining region of Borinage in 1879 he tried to realize his vocational potential. There, he lodged with a family in Cuesmes and eked out an impoverished existence.

The plight of the miners greatly impressed Van Gogh. Moreover, he identified with the people or Borinage - the coal basin of Belgium. He blackened his face to appear as one of them. Finally, he reached for his pen and documented the lives of these impoverished people in somewhat clumsy sketches.

Today, only ruins are left of the Borinage coal mines - the remainders of a dark time. Van Gogh traveled into the mines to experience the hardship of the miners at 700 meters beneath the earth. He was shocked by the cramped conditions and the darkness and recounted his experience to his brother Theo.

In a roundabout way, he landed in Nuenen, where he took shelter with his parents who were reluctant to take him in. He remained in Nuenen for two years - from 1883 to 1885 - where he painted fields and the famers at work in bleak colors. He also painted simple potatoes without embellishment.

In Nuenen - today a suburb of the neighboring city of Eindhoven - he delighted in living a simple life. He discovered the theme of weavers as a motif, as well as simple and typical Nuenen architecture. For "The Potato Eaters" he produced sketches throughout the winter until the work was complete.

Van Gogh painted at least one picture per day. Many of his works were full of melancholy - some even contained anatomical mistakes. In Nuenen he enjoyed the luxury of a private studio. It can be found beyond the garden fence of the rectory (pictured) - a simple garden shed, where he also painted "The Potato Eaters."

No one at the time could have imagined that this painter would become one of the world's most important artists. After the death of his father, Vincent left Nuenen. With "The Potato Eaters" packed in his luggage, he moved to Antwerp and then finally to Paris. With financial support from his brother Theo, he moved into a humble dwelling and later in with Theo.

On February 20, 1888, he left the French capital, moving south in search of new light. With the right framing and contours, everyday scenes can become symbols. In contrast to fellow artists of the day, his color palette exploded while in France: Red, yellow, green, blue, violet. He worked with complementary contrasts and hugely expressive lines and surfaces.

For the anniversary celebrations this year, 30 institutions have united for "125 Years of Inspiration." In the Netherlands the focus is on his formative years and work, and the influence of Vincent van Gogh on other artists. In the French cities of St. Remy, Arles and Auvers sur Oise - where he committed suicide in 1890 at the age of 37 - the focus will be on Van Gogh the man.