National Gallery Van Gogh: Room 43 Paintings & Locations

Room 43 at the National Gallery in London holds Van Gogh’s Sunflowers—and unlike blockbuster exhibitions that sell out in hours, this permanent collection costs nothing to see. The room rewards repeat visits with works that capture Van Gogh’s most intense creative year.

Van Gogh Room in National Gallery London: Room 43, Level 2 ·
Starry Night Location: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam ·
Only Painting Van Gogh Sold: The Red Vineyard ·
Van Gogh Birth Year: 1853

Seven key facts anchor this visitor-focused map across National Gallery locations.

Where can I find Van Gogh in the National Gallery?

The short answer is Room 43 on Level 2 of the National Gallery in London. This is the gallery’s dedicated space for Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and the broader Post-Impressionist movement spanning French Painting 1880–1905 (National Gallery). You won’t find scattered single works here and there—the institution grouped its Van Gogh holdings deliberately, so the hunt is straightforward.

Sunflowers (NG3863) dominates the room both in fame and physical presence. The painting measures 92.1 × 73 cm and was painted specifically to decorate Van Gogh’s house in Arles for Paul Gauguin’s visit (National Gallery). Van Gogh wrote to Gauguin, “The sunflower is mine” (National Gallery), revealing how much this exchange meant to him.

The room also features Van Gogh’s Chair (1888), positioned as a companion piece to Gauguin’s Chair housed in Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum (Lonely Planet). Two Crabs (1889) hangs nearby, considered among Van Gogh’s final major works before 1890 (National Gallery).

What this means: skipping Room 43 means missing the heart of the National Gallery’s Van Gogh presence. The room sits adjacent to Room 42 (Pastels) and Room 44 (Post-Impressionism 1850–1900) (National Gallery), making a mini-circuit of related works possible in a single visit.

Details on Room 43

Room 43 provides free permanent access to the National Gallery’s core Van Gogh holdings. The exhibition Poets & Lovers borrowed virtually all loaned Van Gogh works from institutions worldwide, but the National Gallery’s own pieces—like Two Crabs and Van Gogh’s Chair—remained on display during the show (Berkeley Square Barbarian). Some visitor accounts suggest seven Van Gogh paintings occupy Room 43 on the second floor (JoinMyTrip), though the exact permanent collection count post-exhibition remains something the gallery hasn’t fully documented in public-facing materials.

Which room is Van Gogh in the National Gallery of art?

Room 43 | Level 2 | National Gallery, London. This is the definitive answer, and it holds true for the permanent collection. The space was curated to tell the story of Van Gogh’s relationship with Gauguin and the Post-Impressionist revolution against Impressionism’s softer approach (National Gallery). Post-Impressionists like Van Gogh used bold colours and emotions, diverging from Impressionists (National Gallery), and the room’s layout makes this contrast viscerally clear.

What are the must sees in the National Gallery?

Beyond Van Gogh, the National Gallery’s collection spans 1260–1900 across 2,400+ works. The Highlights from the collection span Botticelli to Constable, drawing millions annually to the Trafalgar Square institution (National Gallery). Van Gogh’s Sunflowers sits among the most photographed, but the room itself—with Gauguin’s works nearby—creates a richer experience than a single painting stop.

For visitors with limited time, Room 43’s compact footprint means you can absorb the Van Gogh offering in 15–20 minutes, then pivot to the museum’s other must-sees. The Poets & Lovers exhibition (14 September 2024 to 19 January 2025) featured nearly 50 paintings from 1888–1890 and received five-star reviews (The Art Newspaper), though that show is now closed. The permanent collection in Room 43 remains available.

Top 20 paintings

The National Gallery’s Highlights from the collection include works spanning the Italian Renaissance, Dutch Golden Age, British Romanticism, and French Impressionism. Van Gogh’s Sunflowers sits at the intersection of the last two movements, making it a useful anchor for understanding the museum’s chronological flow.

Which gallery is Van Gogh’s Starry Night?

Starry Night is not in any National Gallery location. The painting lives permanently at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam (Van Gogh Museum), not in London, Dublin, or Washington. This is among the most common misconceptions visitors carry into the National Gallery—the gallery that gets asked about Starry Night almost certainly doesn’t have it.

Correct location

The Van Gogh Museum holds the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh works (over 500 paintings and 1,200 drawings). Lonely Planet’s guide to seeing Vincent van Gogh’s paintings worldwide directs visitors to Amsterdam as the primary destination for his most famous works (Lonely Planet).

Not in National Gallery

Visitors searching for Starry Night in the National Gallery will leave disappointed if that’s their sole target. The gallery’s Van Gogh holdings are real but different—and for many visitors, Sunflowers in Room 43 provides an equally powerful encounter with Van Gogh’s genius.

What is the only painting Van Gogh ever sold?

The Red Vineyard is the only painting Van Gogh sold during his lifetime (Wikipedia), and it happened before his most celebrated period. He created it in 1888, the same year as Sunflowers, and sold it for 400 francs—a modest sum that wouldn’t begin to reflect its value today.

The context matters: Van Gogh painted roughly 2,100 works during his decade of productivity, selling just one before his death in 1890. His artistic career lasted just over ten years, yet his output during that compressed window reshaped art history (National Gallery). The Red Vineyard is not in the National Gallery or any major public collection—it sold privately and has passed through private hands since.

The Red Vineyard details

Lonely Planet’s guide to Van Gogh’s global paintings lists the Red Vineyard among his internationally dispersed works, but it rarely appears in major museum catalogues because it’s held privately. Scholars believe Anna Bosch, a Belgian art collector, purchased it in the early 20th century.

The implication: if you want to see the painting that defines Van Gogh’s commercial failure during his lifetime, you’ll need connections in the private collector world. The National Gallery’s Room 43 shows you what Van Gogh achieved artistically despite that commercial failure.

Steps to visit Van Gogh in National Gallery London

Visiting Room 43 is straightforward, but a few strategies help you get more from the experience.

1. Check the free floor plan. The National Gallery’s website publishes its Level 2 floor plan with Room 43 marked. Download or screenshot it before you go.
2. Enter via the main Trafalgar Square entrance. Head upstairs to Level 2 and follow signs toward the Post-Impressionist galleries. Room 43 is clearly marked.
3. Start with Sunflowers. The painting gets prime placement. Spend 5 minutes in front of it before reading the wall text—the brushwork hits harder with fresh eyes.
4. Trace the Gauguin connection. Walk over to Gauguin’s Chair (opposite Van Gogh’s Chair) and notice the visual conversation between them—simple peasant seat versus polished throne.
5. Walk the adjacent rooms. Room 42 (Pastels) and Room 44 (Post-Impressionism 1850–1900) extend the context. This takes another 10–15 minutes and deepens understanding of where Van Gogh fits stylistically.
6. Consider membership if you missed Poets & Lovers. The £68 Direct Debit membership unlocks future sold-out exhibitions. National Gallery membership costs £68 (Direct Debit) for this access (Berkeley Square Barbarian).

Van Gogh’s Sunflowers (1888) is one of five versions worldwide; the National Gallery’s version is the original requested by Gauguin.

— Lonely Planet travel guide

Van Gogh moved to the south of France in early 1888, creating Provence works with vivid brushstrokes that would define his legacy.

— National Gallery artist bio

Room 43 demonstrates something important: Van Gogh’s genius wasn’t just about Starry Night. The National Gallery’s Sunflowers and surrounding works capture his year of highest intensity—1888—when he painted for Gauguin, argued with him, and produced the works that would eventually make him famous worldwide.

Van Gogh was born in 1853 and died in 1890, with his productive career lasting just over a decade. He moved to Paris in 1886, then to the south of France in early 1888 (National Gallery). Two Crabs (1889) came during his final productive year before his death in 1890 (National Gallery). The Sunflowers was signed by Van Gogh and placed in a 17th-century Italian frame (National Gallery), giving it an even richer historical texture.

Related reading: GetYourGuide app for gallery tickets · BBC shows and tours

Room 43 houses Van Gogh’s iconic Sunflowers and Chair, with further details available in this Room 43 Sunflowers guide that echoes the gallery’s highlights.

Frequently asked questions