during his brief career he had only sold one painting. after his death, van gogh's finest works were all sold in less than three years. his mother threw away a lot of his paintings during his life and even after his death. but she lived long enough to see him become a world famous painter. he was not well known when he was alive, and most people did not appreciate his art. but he became very famous after his death. today, many people consider him to be one of the greatest painters in history and an important influence on modern art. van gogh did not begin painting until he was almost 30. most of his famous works were done in his last two years. he made more than 2,000 artworks, with 900 paintings and 1,100 drawings and sketches. today, many of his pieces portraits, landscapes and sunflowers are some of the most famous and costly works of art in the world.