Paul Gauguin was largely unrecognised in his lifetime (1848-1903), during which he spent almost 20 of his later years living in Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. While the art made there by this gifted painter eventually became celebrated, in recent decades, as art historian Norma Broude explains, there has been a growing, complicated “image of Gauguin in the critical media—as a predatory womaniser, agent of colonial domination, and even sexual offender whose art should be ‘cancelled’.” Broude’s words feature in a catalogue essay for the National Gallery of Australia’s exhibition, Gauguin’s World: Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao, with the show raising such issues for examination, while also acknowledging Gauguin as hugely popular among museum-goers.
Curated by former Louvre Museum and Musée d’Orsay director, Henri Loyrette, Gauguin’s World includes 140 of his works featuring some of his most recognised masterpieces, such as Femmes de Tahiti, 1891, Three Tahitians, 1899, and Portrait of the artist with ‘The yellow Christ’, 1890–91. Yet the show is couched within a Polynesian perspective, exhibiting works by contemporary Pacific-region artists, along with talks and public programs including, for example, Tahitian knowledge-holders.
NGA director Dr Nick Mitzevich says it is an important opportunity for audiences to contemplate Gauguin’s life and art through the perspective of Australia’s Moana/Pacific neighbours, to elevate their voices and hear new perspectives. “While we celebrate Gauguin’s ties to the Pacific region, we need to address his legacy,” he explains. “Like other contemporary and historic artists, Gauguin’s life and legacy have come under increasing scrutiny. By today’s standards, Gauguin’s interactions in Polynesia at the end of the 19th century would not be acceptable.” As much as being about art, this show is also about reckoning with the ethics of art’s recent history.
Gauguin’s World: Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao
National Gallery of Australia
29 June—7 October
This article was originally published in the July/August 2024 print edition of Art Guide Australia.
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