Van Gogh Starry Night Experience in Paris – Extended Until Jan 5, 2020!

Below are only a few of the soundbites offered for the Van Gogh Starry Night Experience in the Paris Atelier des Lumieres showing Feb 22 – Jan 5, 2020. Each description is completely accurate. And still did not do this incredible collection justice…

“A Masterpiece of Light and Sound”

“Goosebumps!”

“I literally cried!”

“Completely Immersive”

“Van Gogh Comes Alive!”

Fifty major works of the artist Vincent Van Gogh are projected on every available surface of this cavernous and dark industrial hall. Ceilings, walls, floors, exposed pipes, and stairways all become a swirling palette for the genius of the artist most well-known for his Starry Night works.

The Van Gogh Starry Night Experience

While the colors of Van Gogh’s art dance and meld all around you, the music provides an incredible depth of feeling to each part of the immersive performance where all you have to do is just stand and let it surround you.It begins with the penetrating eyes of Van Gogh slowly appearing and taking form all around you as if in an invitation to enter his own personal and tortured world. The musical score plays an important part of the feature, as both sight and sound mesh to bring you completely into Van Gogh’s world.His darker early works of peasants, fishermen, and potato eaters combine with the incredible canvases of yellow light from his beloved Provence. Instantly recognizable hues of blue and golden yellow fill every available space as the music soars.

Of course Van Gogh’s iconic sunflowers will make an appearance, as will his more recognizable works like Cafe Terrace at Night (1888) and the Bedroom (1888). As the show draws to a close, heavy, rough brushstrokes and the ominous appearance of crows in one of his last works, The Wheat Field with Crows (1890) foretell the end of time for an artist who’s works remain timeless.

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The Music of the Van Gogh Starry Night Experience 

The musical score of this performance plays an integral part in the depth of emotion shown and felt on screen. Below are the songs used in the experience…

THE ‘VAN GOGH, STARRY NIGHT’ SOUNDTRACK

‘Prologue’ –Jean-Baptiste Lully : Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme LWV 43: Ouverture (1670)Luca Longobardi : White Room

 – ‘The Provençal light’ –Janis Joplin : Kozmic Blues

– ‘The early works’ -Sofia Gubaidulina : String Quartet No. 4Edvard Grieg : Peer Gynt Op:23, NO 18. Solveigs sang (Solveig ́s Song)

– ‘The nature’ –Bedřich Smetana : Smetana: Má Vlast – 2. Vltava

– ’The period in Paris’ –Giacomo Puccini : Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro

– ‘Arles’ –Miles Davis : Ascenseur pour l’échafaudMoses Sumney : Doomed

– ‘Olive trees and cypresses’ –Antonio Vivaldi : The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, V 315 « Summer »: III. PrestoMozart Recomposed de Luca Longobardi

– ‘Saint Rémy’ –Nina Simone : Don’t let me be misunderstood

 – ‘The Plaine d’Auvers’ –Luca Longobardi : Elegie I 

– ‘Epilogue’–Johannes Brahms : Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat Major, Op. 83 Luca Longobardi : Elegie I (reprise)

How to best enjoy the Van Gogh Starry Night Experience 

Because tickets often sell out, it’s preferable to purchase your tickets online as soon as possible. There were very limited tickets available on site. Online you can choose your date and time of entry. Entry is timed for every 30 minutes, however we weren’t limited to just 30 minutes once inside. We could have stayed for as many repeats as we wanted (plan time to see it at least twice if possible).

Once you enter the performance space, there are 2 additional ongoing shows running in a loop:

Verse – a very short piece created by Thomas Vans in collaboration with Jonathan Fitas. Verse takes you on a journey into this universe in a hypnotic and metaphysical stellar journey. Verse offers a condensed vision of the eternal poetry of the cosmos.

Dreamed Japan: Images of the Floating World – Created by Danny Rose, this short program takes visitors on a spectacular journey into the Japan of the collective imagination, where spirits, geishas, and samurai warriors dance and frolic all around us. The music and art meld effortlessly though this wondrous floating world.

NOTES: For the best possible viewing, the first entry of the day would ensure you were in least crowds. Also, if there are crowds, try finding a different spot from which to view the show. There are often nooks and crannies where you can see more of the big picture. It is possible to take photos and video (without flash, of course) within the performance space.

Tickets for the Van Gogh Starry Night Experience in Paris

The art centre is open 365 days a year from 10am to 6pm. Late openings on Friday and Saturday until 10pm and Sunday until 7pm. From Monday to Friday: closing of the ticket office at 4pm • On the weekends: booking online only. 

The book and gift shop and Le Studio are open during art centre’s opening times.

Full rate: €14,5 

Senior rate: €13,5 (more than 65 years old) 

Reduced rate: €11,5 (students, unemployed, disability card and Education Pass holders) 

Youth rate: €9,5 (5-25 years old)  

Family rate: €42 (for 2 adults and 2 children from 5 to 25 years old)  Free for children under the age of 5 >> On presentation of written proof
Address: 38 rue Saint Maur 75011 Paris. By metro: Lines 9 (Voltaire, Saint-Ambroise), 3 (Rue Saint-Maur) and 2 (Père Lachaise) By bus: Lines 46, 56, 61, and 69 

To complement the Van Gogh Starry Night Experience, it’s recommended to download the free Van Gogh, Starry Night app. The app gives detailed descriptions of the works displayed and which galleries you will find them.