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Van Gogh’s Starry Night over the Rhône reveals more of its mysteries

Van Gogh's *Starry Night over the Rhône* (September 1888), housed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, is analyzed in detail to separate the actual view of Arles from the artist's imaginative additions. The article examines how Van Gogh repositioned the Plough (Big Dipper) constellation, exaggerated the brightness of gas lamps, and likely painted most of the scene in his studio rather than en plein air. It also reveals that he later reworked the lower-left corner of the canvas, as seen in contemporary sketches.

article news schedule Jan 23, 2026 visibility 16 link 5 artists

Pioneering US collector Albert Barnes turned down both of Van Gogh’s 'Starry Nights'

Albert Barnes, the pioneering US collector who built the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, twice declined the opportunity to acquire Vincent van Gogh's iconic 'Starry Night' paintings. Unpublished correspondence in the Barnes Foundation archives reveals that in 1923, agent Frank Washburn Freund offered Barnes *Starry Night over the Rhône* (1888), but Barnes did not pursue it; the painting later went to the Musée d'Orsay. In 1936, the Van Wisselingh gallery offered Barnes *Starry Night* (1889), but he again passed; it was eventually acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Despite these missed chances, Barnes was the first American to buy a Van Gogh, ultimately owning seven works by the artist, including *The Postman* and *Still Life*.

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