Sunflowers aside, Vincent Van Gogh was captive to the night. The nocturnal sky is full of brightly ringed stars and spirals in “The Starry Night”, one of the top draws in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan and the initial excuse for an exhibition focused on the painter’s dusk-to-dawn scenes.
“Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night” is compact yet wide-ranging, hitting many of the artist’s obsessions, from peasants to gaslights. Among the 23 paintings in the show, about five are perfect, gorgeously idiosyncratic hymns to color and form. There are another handful of head-turners and some typical theme-exhibition filler. The show doesn’t all cohere conceptually, but in front of so many great paintings that barely matters. (Bloomberg)