The Bedroom
Vincent van Gogh · 1888
Oil on canvas
Quick answer
The Bedroom (1888) by Vincent van Gogh is in Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. The Bedroom is an oil painting by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, first painted in October 1888 in Arles, southern France. It depicts Van Gogh's bedroom at the Yellow House in Arles — a simple room with an iron bed, two chairs, a table, a window, and various personal items. Van Gogh wrote that he intended the painting to represent 'absolute repose' and 'perfect rest.' He painted three versions: the first is at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the second at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the third at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. World Museum Guide explains what you're looking at and how to see it.
Frequently asked questions
How many versions of The Bedroom did Van Gogh paint?
Van Gogh painted three versions of The Bedroom. The first (October 1888) is at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam — it was damaged by humidity. The second (September 1889, painted at Saint-Rémy) is at the Art Institute of Chicago. The third (smaller, 1889) was painted for his mother and sister and is now at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
Where is Van Gogh's The Bedroom?
The first and most famous version is at the Van Gogh Museum at Museumplein 6 in Amsterdam. The second version is at the Art Institute of Chicago. The third version is at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. All three are in permanent public collections.
Why is the perspective distorted in Van Gogh's Bedroom?
The distorted perspective — where angles don't meet correctly and the room seems to tilt — is deliberate. Van Gogh wrote detailed letters about his intentions for the painting and specifically chose flat areas of colour without shading or perspective corrections to achieve 'an effect of absolute repose.' The slight wrongness of the geometry contributes to the painting's slightly disorienting, dream-like quality.
What does The Bedroom mean?
Van Gogh painted The Bedroom to represent his first permanent home after years of itinerant poverty. He wrote to Theo that he wanted the painting to suggest 'rest and sleep.' The colours — pale lilac walls, yellow bed, red blanket, green shutters — are intensely vivid but combine to create what Van Gogh intended as a calming, restful effect. The painting is as much about the emotional state of finally having a home as it is about the room itself.
Can you sleep in Van Gogh's Bedroom?
Yes — in 2016, Airbnb collaborated with the Art Institute of Chicago to create an exact full-scale recreation of the bedroom at the Yellow House in Arles, based on the painting. The replica was available to rent for $10 per night for three nights only. The project generated enormous media coverage and demonstrated the continuing cultural power of Van Gogh's most intimate painting.