Henri RousseauFrench, 1844–1910The Sleeping Gypsy
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “The Sleeping Gypsy” now? The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA, Floor 5, 501, New York. Yes, on view now. Checked September 22, 2026.
Closing soon· until 7:00 PM
On public display.
- Checked
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
The Sleeping Gypsy (French: La Bohémienne endormie) is an 1897 oil on canvas painting by the French Naïve artist Henri Rousseau (1844–1910). It is a fantastical depiction of a lion musing over a sleeping woman on a moonlit night. It is held by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, to which it was donated by Olga Guggenheim in 1939. In the museum, the painting is housed next to Vincent van Gogh's famous 1889 painting The Starry Night.
The painting was featured in the 1980 BBC Two series 100 Great Paintings.
Details
- Accession number
- 646.1939
In the catalog
Sources
- The Museum of Modern Art
- Image: The Museum of Modern Art — © the artist or rights holder
In the life of Henri Rousseau
The whole life1893–1910
A studio in Montparnasse
In 1893 Rousseau moved to a studio in Montparnasse, where he lived and worked until his death in 1910.
after 1897
The mayor of Laval declines “The Sleeping Gypsy”
Believing himself an heir to the academic tradition, Rousseau offered “The Sleeping Gypsy” to the mayor of his native Laval, who declined with a sneer.
1899
Second marriage, to Joséphine Noury
Eleven years after his first wife’s death Rousseau married a second time, to Joséphine Noury.
