Van Gogh's Colors of the Night at MoMA

The long awaited exhibition Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night opened Sunday September 21st at the Museum of Modern Arts (MoMA) in New York.

The Dutch Van Gogh Museum and MoMA collaborated for this unique exhibition that will be on show at the Amsterdam Museum from February 13 2009. It's the first time that these museums work together.

Throughout his career Vincent van Gogh attempted the paradoxical task of representing night by light. His procedure followed the trend set by the Impressionists of 'translating' visual light effects with various color combinations.

The exhibition was originally intended to be a 'small, tightly focused show' teasing out a minor idea in Van Gogh's oeuvre. But when the team of researchers found out Van Gogh's interest in night began much earlier than The Starry Night they shifted the focus of the exhibit.

This show presents new insight into Van Gogh's depictions of night landscapes, interior scenes, and the effects of both gaslight and natural light on their surroundings. Representing all periods of the artist's career, the exhibition shows over two dozen works of superlative quality—several of which have never been seen together, even though they were very clearly conceived with each other in mind. Famous works from international collections are on show, including Starry Night (MoMA), Eugene Boch (Musée d’Orsay) and The Potato Eaters (Van Gogh Museum).

The exhibition will run till January 5 2009 in The Museum of Modern Art in New York. From there it will travel to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam where it will be on show till June 7, 2009.

Click here to read more about the Van Gogh show at MoMa

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