Real locations that inspired Iconic Paintings
From the "American Gothic" house in Iowa to Van Gogh’s yellow café in Arles. Discover the actual spots where history’s most famous masterpieces were painted.
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Vincent Van Gogh, Café Terrace at Night
In September 1888, Van Gogh painted the gas-lit terrace at Place du Forum in Arles, southern France. The café, now at 11 Place du Forum (renovated in the 1990s to match the painting's yellow facade), closed in 2023 but the building still stands. You can visit Arles, about 130 km north of Marseille, to see where Van Gogh created this starry night scene.
Johannes Vermeer, The Little Street
Around 1657, Vermeer painted this scene at what is now 40 and 42 Vlamingstraat in Delft, Netherlands, where his aunt ran a tripe business. The original buildings are gone, replaced by 19th-century structures, but you can still walk this quiet canal street in Delft's eastern quarter.
Grant Wood, American Gothic
In August 1930, Wood spotted this house with its Gothic window in Eldon, Iowa, and sketched it on an envelope. The house, built in 1881, still stands at 301 American Gothic Street as a National Historic Landmark where visitors can tour and recreate the famous photo.
Vincent Van Gogh, The Church at Auvers
Van Gogh painted the Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption in early June 1890, weeks before his death. This 13th-century Gothic church at Place de l'Église in Auvers-sur-Oise (30 km northwest of Paris) remains virtually unchanged today.
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