If you’ve ever wanted to live like one of the most famous artists in history, you’re in luck. To celebrate its upcoming exhibition “Van Gogh’s Bedrooms,” the Art Institute of Chicago has recreated the room that the legendary artist inhabited in Arles, France, and has even listed the property on Airbnb.
Listed for just $10 a night, the amazingly accurate representation of van Gogh’s room is located in Chicago’s River North neighborhood and according to Colossal, is part of a larger apartment—which would explain why the lodging includes cable TV and WiFi.
According to the Airbnb listing, “this room will make you feel like you’re living in a painting. It’s decorated in a Post-Impressionist style, reminiscent of Southern France and times gone by. Its furniture, bright colors, and artwork will give you the experience of a lifetime.”
The museum even lists “Vincent” as the host, complete with a picture of one of the artist’s famous self portraits.
The Art Institute of Chicago has recreated the artist’s famous bedroom from his paintings. Photo courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago via Facebook.
Between 1888 and 1889, van Gogh painted three similar yet distinct versions of his bedroom after moving into the idyllic Yellow House in Provence, southern France.
After the original composition suffered water damage, he repainted the image while institutionalized at an asylum in 1889. He later created a third, slightly smaller painting as a gift to his mother and sister.
Vincent Van Gogh, The Bedroom (1889).
Photo: The Art Institute of Chicago.
Bringing the three paintings to North America for the first time, the Chicago museum has put together the exhibition to explore the impact that van Gogh’s home and its surroundings had on his artistic output.
Whilst the second version of The Bedroom (1889) is an important part of the museum’s permanent collection, the 1888 original was loaned from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, and the smaller third edition was loaned from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
The exhibition is accompanied by approximately 36 other works by van Gogh, including paintings, drawings, illustrated letters, books, and other ephemera.
But it is the artist’s bedroom that has everyone excited. Commenting on the Art Institute of Chicago’s Facebook page, one user said: “To be able to spend the night there would be unfathomable and quite frankly one of the best experiences of my life.”
Now, all you have to do is use your imagination to pretend that Chicago’s February weather somehow resembles southern France’s balmy climate.