Where Is Bedroom in Arles? See It at Van Gogh Museum

Q: Why did Van Gogh paint his bedroom?

Van Gogh wanted to convey tranquility and rest through simple objects. Van Gogh created three versions of this intimate scene while living in the Yellow House.

Q: What makes the colors in Bedroom in Arles unusual?

The bold, flat colors and skewed perspective reflect Post-Impressionist techniques. You'll find similar vibrant palettes in our colorful artwork collection.

Q: Where can I see Bedroom in Arles?

The most famous version hangs at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Other versions are at the Art Institute of Chicago and Musée d'Orsay.

Q: How many versions of the Bedroom did Van Gogh paint?

Van Gogh painted three versions. The first (October 1888) is at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The second is at the Art Institute of Chicago. The third is at the Musée d'Orsay.

Q: Why does the room look distorted?

The room's trapezoidal shape was real, not artistic license. Van Gogh's bedroom at the Yellow House in Arles had irregular walls. He wanted the painting to express 'absolute restfulness' through simplified forms and bold, flat blue and yellow colors.

Vincent van Gogh painted three nearly identical versions of Bedroom in Arles. The first, completed in October 1888, shows his room at the Yellow House in Arles where he hoped to establish an artists' community. The simple furnishings, bold blue walls, and yellow bed convey what Van Gogh called "absolute restfulness."

A flood damaged the first version while Van Gogh was hospitalized in Arles. In September 1889, he made two copies from the original: one the same size (now at the Art Institute of Chicago), and a smaller version for his mother and sister (now at the Musée d'Orsay).

The three versions can be distinguished by the portraits on the wall to the right. In 2016, the Art Institute of Chicago reunited all three for the first time in North America. The original hangs at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Van Gogh wanted to convey tranquility and rest through simple objects. Van Gogh created three versions of this intimate scene while living in the Yellow House.

The bold, flat colors and skewed perspective reflect Post-Impressionist techniques. You'll find similar vibrant palettes in our colorful artwork collection.

The most famous version hangs at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Other versions are at the Art Institute of Chicago and Musée d'Orsay.

Van Gogh painted three versions. The first (October 1888) is at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The second is at the Art Institute of Chicago. The third is at the Musée d'Orsay.

The room's trapezoidal shape was real, not artistic license. Van Gogh's bedroom at the Yellow House in Arles had irregular walls. He wanted the painting to express 'absolute restfulness' through simplified forms and bold, flat blue and yellow colors.

Bedroom in Arles

Details

Where to See It

The Artist

More by Vincent van Gogh

“Au Charbonnage” Café

A Zandmennik house

The Goat Herd

Old Woman Asleep after Rops

Also at Van Gogh Museum

“Au Charbonnage” Café

Miners in the Snow at Dawn

Wheatfield with Crows

The Cave of Machpelah

Related Post-Impressionism Works

The Yellow Christ

When Will You Marry?

The Card Players

Moulin Rouge: La Goulue

The Basket of Apples

Still Life with Apples

Jane Avril

Arearea (Joyousness)

About Bedroom in Arles

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