Off topic but your comment makes me think of Nick Drake. He died at 26, before even knowing he'd achieved anything, his music barely listened to, probably feeling a failure. Posthumously he's one of the world's most acclaimed recording artists.
RIP Bram.
At least in one of the Van Gogh movies, he says something like 'one day, people will understand'. To me, that suggests that he knew the value of his work whereas OP suggests that Nick Drake didn't know that he created something that people will value.
