Van Gogh spent fifteen months in Arles from February 1888 and produced over 200 canvases here, including Sunflowers, The Bedroom, and Café Terrace at Night. The Fondation Vincent van Gogh occupies the Hôtel Léautaud de Donines and is dedicated to keeping his legacy alive in the city that inspired so much of his finest work.
The foundation holds no Van Gogh originals — those are in Amsterdam, New York, and elsewhere — but its collection of contemporary art responding to Van Gogh's influence is genuinely interesting. More than ninety artists have contributed works in tribute to the painter, and temporary exhibitions throughout the year tend to be ambitious and well-curated. The building itself, a handsome Arlesien mansion, is worth seeing.