Paul Gauguin: Paris, 1889 also closely examines Gauguin’s first set of prints, a portfolio of eleven lithographs printed on brilliant yellow paper. First on view at Monsieur Volpini’s Café des Arts, this so-called Volpini Suite chronicled the artist’s early career and travels to Martinique, Brittany, and Arles. The exhibition documents the development of familiar motifs—such as the mourning Eve, the woman in the waves, and fruit bearers—that would distinguish Gauguin’s work for the rest of his career…with slideshow

Gauguin Tahiti

National gallery of art

Early Works

Paul Gauguin began to paint in his late 20s. A restless man, he traveled and worked in the French regions of Brittany and Provence as well as the South and Central Americas. In 1891, he moved to the French colony of Tahiti in search of "ecstasy, calm, and art." He spent all but two of the remaining years of his life in the South Seas…

Paul Gauguin was born in Paris, France to journalist Clovis Gauguin and half-Peruvian Aline Maria Chazal, the daughter of proto-socialist leader Flora Tristan. In 1851 the family left Paris for Peru, motivated by the political climate of the period. Clovis died on the voyage, leaving three-year old Paul, his mother and his sister to fend for themselves. They lived for four years in Lima, Peru with Paul’s uncle and his family. The imagery of Peru would later influence Paul in his art…

In 1889, during the Paris World’s Fair, Paul Gauguin and several friends exhibited their work on the festival site of the Café des Arts, owned by a certain monsieur Volpini. Among other works, Gauguin’s show included a series of prints he had made at the instigation of Theo van Gogh as a way of drawing attention to his paintings. This series of prints became known as the Volpini suite…