The Yellow House by Van Gogh: His Home and Studio in Arles

In this article

The house he hoped would become a studio

In May 1888, Van Gogh rented four rooms in a yellow house on the Place Lamartine in Arles. He dreamed of turning it into a studio of the South, where artists could live and work together. In September he painted the house and its street under a deep blue sky.

The painting, sometimes called The Street, belongs to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Green shutters and a green door

The Yellow House is the building at the centre with green shutters and a green door. Van Gogh lived in the right-hand part. A man walks past along the pavement in front.

Van Gogh described the scene to Theo: the house yellow in the sunshine, under an incomparable blue sky. The strong contrast of yellow and blue is the heart of the picture.

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The restaurant where he ate

Pink awning over a restaurant entrance with a woman in the doorway — The restaurant where he ate.

At the left, under a pink awning, is the restaurant where Van Gogh took his meals. A woman stands in the doorway. It was part of his everyday life in Arles.

A train crossing the bridge

Steam train crossing a railway bridge with white smoke — A train crosses the bridge.

In the background at the right, a steam train crosses a railway bridge, puffing white smoke. Van Gogh included modern life without hesitation: trains, gas lamps and passers-by.

Small figures of women and a child walking on the square — Passers-by on the square.

On the right of the square, small figures walk along the road. They are painted with just a few strokes, but they make the street feel alive.

The house no longer exists

Gauguin stayed in the Yellow House for two months in late 1888. After Van Gogh’s breakdown that December, the dream of a shared studio collapsed. The building itself was badly damaged by bombing in 1944 and later demolished, so the painting is now one of the best records of how it looked.

Questions about The Yellow House

Which building is the Yellow House?

The house at the centre with green shutters and a green door, on the Place Lamartine in Arles.

Where is the original?

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

Does the house still exist?

No. It was damaged in 1944 and later demolished.

How large is it?

About 72 × 91.5 centimetres, oil on canvas.

Sources and image credit

Faithful public-domain reproduction of The Yellow House (1888), via Wikimedia Commons. Detail images are crops of the same historical painting; no reconstruction or upscaling.