Gauguin and Polynesia - Tapa dura

Destitute and discontented with European civilization, post-impressionist Paul Gauguin abandoned France for Tahiti in 1891. He resided in Polynesia for the rest of his life and there created some of his most important works, among them By the Sea, Two Women of Tahiti, Ave Maria, and his 1897 masterpiece Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? While there have been many biographical and critical studies of Gauguin, few have focused specifically on the extent to which the art and culture of Polynesia influenced his work. Featuring more than sixty of Gauguin’s depictions of Polynesian life, including paintings, sculptures, and sketches of the people and places he encountered there, this book fully articulates the extent of that influence. Alongside Gauguin’s works are an equal number from Polynesian artists that exemplify the dynamic relationship between European and Polynesian art throughout the nineteenth century, as well as the overall development of art in the Pacific during that era. Twelve insightful essays by leading scholars in art history and ethnology shed additional light on Polynesian art before and after Gauguin. A balanced contextual analysis of Gauguin’s works and the Polynesian art that influenced—and were influenced by—them, Gauguin Polynesia promises new and exciting insights into both bodies of work.

Suzanne Greub is the founder and director of the Art Centre Basel, and the editor of several exhibition catalogs.