The name of Arles is closely connected with that of Vincent Van Gogh. It is impossible to evoke the light of Arles without thinking of his paintings. It was this luminosity that attracted Van Gogh to the south of France. Vincent arrived in Arles one day in February1888 looking for the outside light but also seeking an interior illumination.
Here he started a period of intense and impassioned work under the bright sunny sky of Provence. His stay in Arles was the most productive period of his life : the more than 300 paintings and drawings done in his 15 months here form one of the most brilliant chapters in the history of art. Even though there are no original paintings by Van Gogh in the city, the shadow of his presence is everywhere.