Gauguin: Portraits
See the world’s first-ever exhibition devoted to Paul Gauguin’s portraiture.
The National Gallery of Canada is the sole North American venue for a dazzling presentation by one of the 19th century’s most influential and complex artists – Paul Gauguin.
Inspired by Gauguin’s impressive sculpture of his friend Meijer de Haan, from the Gallery collection, this landmark investigation focuses on the mature years of the French artist’s career, when he moved away from Impressionism and toward more symbolist representations in his art.
Through imaginative self-portraits – in which the artist assumes various roles – as well as his unconventional depictions of friends, family, and women in France and Polynesia, the exhibition showcases Gauguin’s extraordinary creativity in the field of portraiture.
Featuring paintings, works on paper and sculptures, Gauguin: Portraits brings together a unique and unforgettable selection of works from public and private collections around the world.
Organized by the National Gallery of Canada and the National Gallery, London.
Date
Location
—
#GauguinPortraits
Artwork
Paul Gauguin, Woman of the Mango (Vahine no te vi), 1892, oil on canvas, 73 × 45.1 cm. Baltimore Museum of Art. The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland (BMA 1950.213). Photo: Mitro Hood
Paul Gauguin, Woman of the Mango (Vahine no te vi), 1892, oil on canvas, 73 × 45.1 cm. Baltimore Museum of Art. The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland (BMA 1950.213). Photo: Mitro Hood
Paul Gauguin, Portrait of Meijer de Haan, 1889, oil on wood, 79.6 × 51.7 cm. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David Rockefeller (2.1958)
© The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY
Paul Gauguin, Portrait of Meijer de Haan, 1889, oil on wood, 79.6 × 51.7 cm. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David Rockefeller (2.1958)
© The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY
Paul Gauguin, Portrait of Meijer de Haan, c. 1889–90, waxed distemper paint and metallic oil paint on oak, 58.4 × 29.8 × 22.8 cm. National Gallery of Canada. Purchased 1968 (15310) Photo © National Gallery of Canada
Paul Gauguin, Portrait of Meijer de Haan, c. 1889–90, waxed distemper paint and metallic oil paint on oak, 58.4 × 29.8 × 22.8 cm. National Gallery of Canada. Purchased 1968 (15310) Photo © National Gallery of Canada
Paul Gauguin, Still Life with Profile of Laval, 1886, oil on canvas, 46 × 38 cm. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Samuel Josefowitz Collection of the School of Pont-Aven, through the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc., the Josefowitz Family, Mr. and Mrs. James M. Cornelius, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard J. Betley, Lori and Dan Efroymson, and other Friends of the Museum, 1998.167, DiscoverNewfields.org
Paul Gauguin, Still Life with Profile of Laval, 1886, oil on canvas, 46 × 38 cm. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Samuel Josefowitz Collection of the School of Pont-Aven, through the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc., the Josefowitz Family, Mr. and Mrs. James M. Cornelius, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard J. Betley, Lori and Dan Efroymson, and other Friends of the Museum, 1998.167, DiscoverNewfields.org
Paul Gauguin, Clovis, c. 1886, oil on canvas. Isabelle and Scott Black Collection
Paul Gauguin, Clovis, c. 1886, oil on canvas. Isabelle and Scott Black Collection
Paul Gauguin, Portrait of Madame Roulin, 1888. oil on canvas, 50.5 × 63.5 cm. Saint Louis Art Museum. Funds given by Mrs. Mark C. Steinberg (5:1959)
Paul Gauguin, Portrait of Madame Roulin, 1888. oil on canvas, 50.5 × 63.5 cm. Saint Louis Art Museum. Funds given by Mrs. Mark C. Steinberg (5:1959)
Paul Gauguin, Tehamana Has Many Parents or The Ancestors of Tehamana (Merahi metua no Tehamana), 1893, oil on coarse fabric, 75 × 53 cm. Art Institute of Chicago. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Deering McCormick (1980.613). Photo: Art Institute of Chicago / Art Resource, NY
Paul Gauguin, Tehamana Has Many Parents or The Ancestors of Tehamana (Merahi metua no Tehamana), 1893, oil on coarse fabric, 75 × 53 cm. Art Institute of Chicago. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Deering McCormick (1980.613). Photo: Art Institute of Chicago / Art Resource, NY
The work of art, for the one who knows how to see, is a mirror that reflects the artist’s soul.
– Paul Gauguin, Diverses choses, 1896–1897
Meijer de Haan in 360°
Enjoy a close encounter with the work from the Gallery’s collection that inspired the exhibition: Gauguin’s oak sculpture, Portrait of Meijer de Haan. Use the iPad in the gallery space to explore the sculpture in a 360-degree rotation, and zoom in at various interactive hotspots to learn more. Visitors to the exhibition can also physically explore the surfaces of this intriguing bust through a meticulous 3D reproduction.
Portrait Drawing Studio
Try your hand at Gauguin-inspired portraiture in our Portrait Drawing Studio located at the end of the exhibition. Display your work of art in one of the frames on the wall, or share it on social media using the hashtag #GauguinPortraits.
About the Artist
Born in France, Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) spent part of his early childhood living in Peru, sailed the world in the French merchant marine and navy, and worked as a stockbroker. Starting out as an amateur painter, he became a full-time artist in the early 1880s and exhibited with the Impressionists. Increasingly dissatisfied with the limits of naturalism, Gauguin defied conventions of representation and experimented in different media, pushing colour and form into novel expressive capacities. He created a Symbolist form of visual art concerned with the realms of dreams, imagination and spirituality.
From 1886 onward he repeatedly spent time in rural Brittany and travelled to the French colonies of Martinique (1887) and then Polynesia, seeking new subject matter in environments far removed from the Parisian art world. After an extended stay in Tahiti (1891–93), he returned to Paris where he aimed to confirm his role as an avant-garde leader. He left again for the islands of Polynesia in 1895 to live in self-imposed exile, all the while retaining the privileges of being European and cultivating his identity as an outsider searching for social and artistic liberation. Gauguin’s innovations and legacy became crucial for generations of artists both during his lifetime and well into the 20th century.
Paul Gauguin, 1893. Image Source: Snark / Art Resource, NY
Featured Videos
More than ten years after Van Gogh’s death, Gauguin painted Still Life with “Hope” as an homage to his friend and respected fellow artist (as well as rival).
Gauguin: Portraits offers an interactive and unique experience for the whole family.
Get an exclusive behind the scenes look at the arrival and installation of Gauguin's Portrait of Suzanne Bambridge.
Related Content
In the News
National Gallery’s groundbreaking exhibition sheds new light on the many faces of Paul Gauguin.
– Ottawa Citizen
