<Tr> <Th> Location </Th> <Td> Museum of Modern Art, New York City </Td> </Tr> <P> The Starry Night is an oil on canvas by the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh . Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the east - facing window of his asylum room at Saint - Rémy - de-Provence, just before sunrise, with the addition of an idealized village . It has been in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1941, acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest . It is regarded as among Van Gogh's finest works and is one of the most recognized paintings in the history of Western culture . </P> <P> In the aftermath of the 23 December 1888 breakdown that resulted in the self - mutilation of his left ear, Van Gogh voluntarily admitted himself to the Saint - Paul - de-Mausole lunatic asylum on 8 May 1889 . Housed in a former monastery, Saint - Paul - de-Mausole catered to the wealthy and was less than half full when Van Gogh arrived, allowing him to occupy not only a second - story bedroom but also a ground - floor room for use as a painting studio . </P> <P> During the year Van Gogh stayed at the asylum, the prolific output of paintings he had begun in Arles continued . During this period, he produced some of the best - known works of his career, including the Irises from May 1889, now in the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the blue self - portrait from September, 1889, in the Musée d'Orsay . The Starry Night was painted mid-June by around 18 June, the date he wrote to his brother Theo to say he had a new study of a starry sky . </P>

What is the subject matter of the starry night