The Starry Night
Oil painting on canvas • Vincent van Gogh
Style & Movement
Post-Impressionism
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas, executed with thick, expressive impasto brushstrokes and rhythmic, swirling application techniques.
Creation Period
June 1889
Dimensions & Format
73.7 cm × 92.1 cm (29 in × 36 1⁄4 in), landscape format
Subject Description
The composition depicts an expressive, stylized nighttime landscape viewed from an elevated window of the asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. A prominent, dark cypress tree dominates the left foreground, bridging earth and sky. The swirling, dynamic night sky is filled with glowing stars and a bright crescent moon. Below lies a quiet, idealized village featuring a sharply pointed church steeple, set against rolling blue hills.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Museum-grade permanent collection condition, housed securely in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York with stable pigment and canvas integrity.
Estimated Market Value
Incalculable / Estimated in excess of $100,000,000 if ever brought to market.
Auction Estimate
Not applicable as it is permanently institutionalized in a public museum collection.
Provenance History
Painted in the asylum at Saint-Rémy in June 1889; sent to Theo van Gogh in Paris; passed through various private collections including Jo van Gogh-Bonger and Georgette P. van Stolk; acquired by Paul Rosenberg; purchased by the Museum of Modern Art in 1941.
Art Historical Significance
One of the most recognized and celebrated masterpieces in Western art history, representing the pinnacle of Van Gogh's expressive style and his psychological state during his stay at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole.
Notable Features
Distinctive use of heavy impasto, highly stylized optical blending, dramatic rhythmic swirls in the cosmos, and the iconic towering cypress motif.
Condition Issues
Stable craquelure consistent with nineteenth-century oil paintings; no major active degradation issues reported under museum conservation protocols.
Conservation Recommendations
Maintain strict museum environmental controls (stable relative humidity around 50 percent, filtered low-lux LED lighting, and climate-controlled framing).