Frequently Asked Question
When Vincent van Gogh passed away, his family inherited his art. How did the famous painting ‘The Starry Night’ end up at the Museum of Modern Art in New York?
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Detail of: Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889.
Van Gogh's rolling night sky full of bright stars is probably one of the world's most famous artworks.
The Starry Night's home is at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. But how did it get there?
Vincent sold only a handful of artworks during his lifetime. When Vincent passed away, his brother Theo inherited all the remaining ones. Yet when Theo died shortly after, they all fell into the hands of Theo's wife Jo and their only son.
Jo van Gogh - Bonger, age 27 in 1889.
Jo van Gogh Bonger (centre) in her living room, surrounded by paintings by Van Gogh. On the left of the photo is her son Vincent, on the right her second husband Johan Cohen Gosschalk. Photo: Bernard Eilers, 1910-1911
In order to establish Vincent's recognition in the art world, Jo strategically sold artworks to influential art collectors or well-known museums.
One day, Jo sold The Starry Night to Georgette van Stolk in Rotterdam. Then in 1941, MoMA acquired it from her. It was the first Van Gogh to enter a New York museum collection.