Vincent's own personal favorite among all his works, the painting of his bedroom in Arles, is currently undergoing restoration at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. A thorough examination of the canvas, which included micrographs and x-rays, found the work to be in dire need of a major cleaning to restore its original vibrant colors: the lavender-blues, the subtle greens and browns, the reds, and Vincent's beloved yellows have faded with time.
The museum removed the painting last January to begin work on it and is expected to complete the delicate job sometime in August, which is none too soon for the endless parade of saddened visitors unable to view this masterpiece. To placate all of us who adore Vincent and want to keep tabs on what the museum is doing to this Van Gogh, they've begun a blog that will allow the curious to see step by step the restoration process, with a new blog entry once or twice a week.
And for those who thought there was only one version of The Bedroom, there are actually three. The original sustained water damage while Vincent was still alive, prompting him to paint a copy of it. The original- now being restored- was sent to Theo in Paris for repair. The copy now hangs in Chicago while a third, smaller version painted by Vincent hangs in Paris.
To see the restoration in progress visit the Van Gogh Museum's blog at:
The Bedroom courtesy of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.
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