Starry Night over the Rhône (in French La Nuit étoilée sur le Rhône) is one of Vincent van Gogh’s most beautiful night paintings – and the painting many people confuse with the famous The Starry Night at MoMA. In this article you will read where the original hangs, how the painting came about and how our painter creates a hand-painted reproduction of Starry Night over the Rhône on canvas.
Where is the original? In Paris, not in New York
The original of Starry Night over the Rhône hangs in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. The painting most people think of when they hear the name “The Starry Night” – the one with the swirling sky and the cypress – was made later and hangs in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. These are two different paintings by the same artist, made less than a year apart.
The story of the painting: September 1888 on the bank of the Rhône
Van Gogh painted it in September 1888 in Arles, only a few minutes’ walk from the Yellow House where he was living at the time – and he painted it at night, on the bank itself, by the light of a gas lamp. The night sky above the river captivated him: the town’s gas lamps are reflected in the water like golden columns, and above them shines the Big Dipper, the most recognisable group of stars in the northern sky and part of Ursa Major. Van Gogh placed it where the composition needed it – above the town, even though that night he stood facing away from it. In the foreground stands a strolling couple – a rare note of human closeness in his night scenes. The painting was first exhibited in 1889 at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris.
Two “Starry Nights”: what is the difference
Starry Night over the Rhône (1888) shows a real night scene: the town, the river and the stars as Van Gogh saw them from the bank. The Starry Night (1889) was made at the asylum in Saint-Rémy: he painted the sky after the view through his room’s window before dawn – Venus shines in it too – while the little village below it he added from imagination. The first is calm and intimate, the second dramatic and swirling. You will find both in our gallery: Starry Night over the Rhône and The Starry Night as hand-painted reproductions on canvas.
How a hand-painted reproduction is made
Our painter paints the reproduction in oils on canvas – with the small, separated strokes with which Van Gogh built starlight, and with the gold-and-blue contrast that carries the whole composition. The reflections in the water require precise layering of tones so that the light “trembles” as it does on the original. We stretch the reproduction on a stretcher frame, and you can choose the frame in the 3D preview on the product page.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the original of Starry Night over the Rhône hang?
In the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. The Starry Night (1889) hangs in MoMA in New York – these are two different works.
When did Van Gogh paint Starry Night over the Rhône?
In September 1888 in Arles, on the bank of the river Rhône. The famous The Starry Night was made in June 1889 in Saint-Rémy.
Which stars are in the painting?
Above the town shines the Big Dipper, part of Ursa Major – the most recognisable group of stars in the northern sky, which Van Gogh placed in the composition above the reflections of the town lights.
Can I buy a hand-painted reproduction of this painting?
Yes, in our online gallery you can order a hand-painted reproduction of Starry Night over the Rhône on canvas in the size of your choice. Before delivery you receive a photograph of the painting for approval.
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