Appartement des frères Vincent et Théo van Gogh

You are standing in front of the building at 54 Rue Lepic, where Vincent van Gogh lived with his brother, Theo, between 1886 and 1888. This third-floor apartment served as a critical workspace for Vincent during his transformation from a painter of dark, moody subjects into the vibrant colorist he would become. While Theo worked as an art dealer, he transformed their home into a makeshift gallery, filling the walls with works by his brother and other artists he traded with or supported. The space was tight, with Vincent sleeping in a small room they called the cabinet. He claimed a room at the back of the apartment as his studio, which featured a single, small window that he used to study the changing light of the city. From this vantage point, Vincent painted multiple views of the Parisian skyline, capturing everything from the dense grid of rooftops to the distant cathedral of Notre-Dame. These works document his early, experimental encounters with the bright colors and loose brushwork that would eventually define his signature style.