The Bedroom (French: La Chambre à Arles)
Painting on canvas • Vincent van Gogh
Style & Movement
Post-Impressionism; characterized by vibrant, non-naturalistic color and emotional intensity.
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas featuring heavy impasto, bold outlines, and expressive, directional brushwork typical of the artist's mature style.
Creation Period
September 1889 (specifically the second version/replica)
Dimensions & Format
Approximately 72 cm × 90 cm (28 in × 35 in); landscape format.
Subject Description
A depiction of Van Gogh's bedroom at the 'Yellow House' in Arles. The composition includes simple wooden furniture, a bed with a red coverlet, two chairs, a washstand, and portraits on the wall. The skewed perspective and flattened pictorial space aim to convey a sense of 'rest' or 'sleep' despite the vibrant color palette.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Excellent; maintained in a controlled museum environment.
Estimated Market Value
$100 million - $200 million (theoretical market value for a masterpiece of this caliber).
Auction Estimate
$120 million - $180 million based on historical sales of major Post-Impressionist works.
Provenance History
Formerly in the collection of the artist's family (Jo van Gogh-Bonger), later acquired for public collections and now held by the Art Institute of Chicago (Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection).
Art Historical Significance
One of the most iconic images in Western art history. It symbolizes the artist's desire for domestic peace and a 'studio of the south'. It is part of a series of three distinct versions (housed at the Van Gogh Museum, Chicago, and Musée d'Orsay).
Notable Features
Features portraits on the right wall resembling the artist and his friend (often identified as Eugene Boch and Paul-Eugène Milliet); notable for the deliberate lack of shadows to mimic the effect of Japanese woodblock prints.
Condition Issues
Minor age-related craquelure and slight flattening of impasto due to historical lining, though stabilized through professional conservation.
Conservation Recommendations
Displayed under low UV-filtered light; kept in a climate-controlled environment with humidity at 50% +/- 5%. Requires high-quality gilt glazing frame for protection.