10 Van Gogh paintings to take you on a trip

“You probably recognise the vibrant colours and characteristic brush strokes of the Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh – but did you also know you can find his works in five different continents?

Vincent Willem Van Gogh – March 30 1853, Groot-Zundert (Netherlands) to July 29 1890, Auvers-sur-Oise (France) – was a post-impressionist painter known for the raw emotion and frenetic energy he expressed through his work. Although little known in his lifetime, he is now considered one of the greatest artists of all time. He produced more than two thousand works (paintings, sketches, illustrations) which are now exhibited all over the world, in Europe, Asia, North and South America, and Australia.

Take a short trip around the world with these 10 famous paintings by Vincent Van Gogh – from sunflowers and irises to a starry night:

1. Potato Eaters (1885) – Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Your journey begins in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with The Potato Eaters – considered Van Gogh’s first major work. A largely self-taught artist, Van Gogh wanted to create a masterpiece to prove that he had become a good portrait painter. Therefore, he deliberately chose a complex composition. This painting shows the raw reality of life in the countryside at the time.

Where to see it: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

2. Head of a peasant (1884)- Sydney, Australia
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Head of a peasant is part of a series of preparatory studies painted by Van Gogh for The Potato Eaters, between 1883 and 1885. He painted around 40 portraits of peasants to study the characters and daily life of the countryside.

Where to see it: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

3. Le Moulin de la Galette (1886-1887) – Buenos Aires, Argentina
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The landscape and windmills of Montmartre were a great source of inspiration for a series of paintings by Van Gogh. Le Moulin de la Galette was the venue for an outdoor dance hall that was located between two windmills on Montmartre hill. It was also near the apartment he shared with his younger brother, Theo, between 1886 and 1888. Le Moulin de la Galette welcomed and inspired many artists of the time, including Corot, Toulouse-Lautrec and Renoir.

Where to see it: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires

4. The Starry Night (1889) – New York, United States
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The Starry Night is perhaps Van Gogh’s most famous painting. The painting depicts what Van Gogh was able to see and imagine from his room in the asylum of the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole monastery in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in May 1889. Inspired by the artist’s imagination and memory, The Starry Night represents Van Gogh’s internal and subjective expression as well as his response to nature.

Where to see it: The Museum of Modern Art, New York

5. Sunflowers (1888) – London, England
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One of the sunflower paintings Van Gogh painted in Arles in August 1888. Using a wide spectrum of yellows made possible by the invention of new tints, Van Gogh depicts sunflowers in every stage of their life (in bud, flowering, wilting). Van Gogh wanted to decorate his friend Paul Gauguin’s room in the yellow house, a house he rented in Arles. Van Gogh and Gauguin worked together in the yellow house between October and December 1888.

Where to see it: National Gallery, London

6. Roses (1889) – Tokyo, Japan
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Van Gogh saw these roses in the asylum garden in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where he was admitted in May 1889, after his time in Arles. The distinct and intense brush strokes of this painting were ever present in his works throughout the rest of his life.

Where to see it: National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo

7. The Red Vineyard (1888) – Moscow, Russia
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Produced in Arles in November 1888, this painting represents the grape harvests in the Arles countryside. The Red Vineyard is thought to be the only painting sold publicly by Van Gogh during his lifetime, although this is a matter of contention.

Where to see it: Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow

A word of advice: It is worth getting a guidebook to Moscow to make the most of your stay.

8. Irises (1889) – Los Angeles, United States
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Irises is one of the many flower studies that Van Gogh worked on during his period at the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Despite the fact that Van Gogh considered this painting just a study, his brother Theo recognised it as an important painting. Therefore, he submitted it to the annual exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists in September 1889.

Where to see it: J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

9. Bedroom in Arles (1888) – Paris, France
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Van Gogh chose his room in the yellow house in Arles as the subject. He painted Bedroom in Arles while waiting for a visit from Paul Gauguin in October 1888. There are three versions of this painting, which are described in Van Gogh’s letters. The three versions can be distinguished by looking at the small pictures on the wall above the bed.

Where to see it: Musée d’Orsay, Paris

10. Portrait of Camille Roulin (1888) – São Paulo, Brazil
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The portrait of the young Camille Roulin is part of a series of modern portraits painted by Van Gogh during his time in Arles, between 1888 and 1890. Camille was the youngest son of Joseph Roulin, a postman and friend of Van Gogh. Instead of creating realistic or photographic portraits, Van Gogh used bright colours and expressive lines to provoke emotion.

Where to see it: São Paulo Museum of Art

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