The Starry Night has never been sold, so any value is an estimate.
Experts place it anywhere from 100 million to over 1 billion dollars, based on comparable Van Gogh sales, but the Museum of Modern Art in New York has owned it since 1941 and has no plans to ever sell.
Every number attached to Starry Night is a guess dressed up as an estimate, and I think that is worth saying plainly instead of repeating whatever figure a headline picked. No painting at that level of fame has changed hands in decades, so nobody actually knows what it would fetch, only what similar Van Goghs have.
Straight to it
The Starry Night has never been sold on the open market, so there is no confirmed price. Estimates from art market experts range widely, from around 100 million dollars on the conservative end to over 1 billion dollars on the high end.
The painting has hung in the Museum of Modern Art in New York since 1941 and is not for sale at any price, which is part of why the estimates vary so much.
Why There Is No Real Sale Price
A painting only gets a real market price when it actually sells. Starry Night has sat inside a single museum's permanent collection for more than 80 years, so there is no auction result to point to.
Every figure you see quoted is a projection built from other data, not a transaction, which is an important distinction the highest headline numbers usually skip.
Where the Estimates Come From
Analysts build these numbers by comparing Starry Night to Van Gogh paintings that have actually sold, then adjusting upward for its fame, its condition, and its place in art history.
Because Starry Night is more recognizable than almost any other painting Van Gogh made, some estimates push well past what any of his confirmed sales would suggest on their own.
More Van Gogh Stories
How Other Van Gogh Paintings Have Sold
Portrait of Dr Gachet sold for 82.5 million dollars in 1990, a record for any painting at the time. Irises sold for 53.9 million dollars in 1987, and several of his sunflower paintings have sold in the tens of millions.
None of those works carry the recognition Starry Night has. It is the piece most people picture the instant they hear Van Gogh's name, which is exactly why estimators push its theoretical value so far above his actual auction record.
Why MoMA Will Never Sell It
The Museum of Modern Art acquired Starry Night in 1941 and treats it as a cornerstone of its permanent collection, not an asset to trade.
American museums also operate under strict ethical guidelines that discourage selling major collection pieces except in narrow circumstances, and doing so with a painting this significant would draw enormous public and professional backlash.
What Starry Night Cost Van Gogh Himself
Van Gogh painted Starry Night in June 1889 while staying at the Saint Paul de Mausole asylum in Saint Remy de Provence, working from the view outside his room window.
He sold almost nothing during his lifetime and considered the painting a study rather than a finished masterpiece, which makes its current theoretical value almost impossible to square with how little his work earned while he was alive.
The Difference Between Fame and Market Price
Fame and market price are related but not the same thing. A painting can be the most recognized image in the world and still have no confirmed price if it never enters the market.
That gap between recognition and confirmed value is exactly what produces such a wide range of estimates for Starry Night, from around 100 million dollars to well over 1 billion.
If It Ever Went to Auction
If MoMA ever did sell Starry Night, most market analysts expect it would set a new record for any painting sold at auction, surpassing Salvator Mundi's 450.3 million dollar sale in 2017.
That scenario remains hypothetical. MoMA has given no indication it would ever consider parting with the painting, regardless of the price offered.
The Honest Number
The honest answer to how much Starry Night is worth is that no confirmed number exists, only informed guesses built on other Van Gogh sales and the painting's outsized fame.
If you want a range to remember, most serious estimates land somewhere between 100 million and 1.5 billion dollars, with the wide gap itself being the real story.
Wander a little further
Starry Night's Value: Quick Answers
How much is The Starry Night worth today?
There is no confirmed price since it has never been sold. Estimates range from around 100 million to over 1 billion dollars.Who owns The Starry Night?
The Museum of Modern Art in New York has owned it since 1941, when it entered the permanent collection.Has The Starry Night ever been sold at auction?
No. It has remained in MoMA's collection for more than 80 years and has never gone to market.What is the most expensive Van Gogh painting ever sold?
Portrait of Dr Gachet holds that record among confirmed sales, going for 82.5 million dollars in 1990.Would The Starry Night set a new auction record if it were sold?
Most analysts believe it would surpass Salvator Mundi's 450.3 million dollar sale, but MoMA has no plans to sell.Where did Van Gogh paint The Starry Night?
He painted it in June 1889 from a window at the Saint Paul de Mausole asylum in Saint Remy de Provence, where he was a patient.Why do value estimates for The Starry Night vary so much?
Because there is no actual sale to anchor them, estimators combine other Van Gogh auction results with the painting's outsized fame, which produces a wide range.Did Van Gogh sell The Starry Night during his lifetime?
No. He sold almost nothing while alive and considered the painting more of a study than a finished masterpiece.