Gauguin

Paul Gauguin achieved a high public profile during his lifetime, and was one of the first artists of his generation to achieve international recognition. But his prominence has always had as much to do with the dramatic events of his life – his self-imposed exile on a remote South Sea island, his turbulent relationships with his peers – as with the appeal of his art. Belinda Thomson gives a comprehensive and accessible account of the life and work of one of the most original artists of the late nineteenth century. Gauguin’s work – painting, sculpture, prints and ceramics – is discussed in the light of his public persona, his relations with his contemporaries, his exhibitions and their critical reception. His private world, beliefs and aspirations are revealed through his extensive cache of journals, letters and other writings. Fully updated throughout, drawing on the insights of thirty years of scholarship since its first edition, Thomson’s text remains the best introduction to this controversial and often contradictory artist.

Paul Gauguin achieved a high public profile during his lifetime, and was one of the first artists of his generation to achieve international recognition. But his prominence has always had as much to do with the dramatic events of his life – his self-imposed exile on a remote South Sea island, his turbulent relationships with his peers – as with the appeal of his art. Belinda Thomson gives a comprehensive and accessible account of the life and work of one of the most original artists of the late nineteenth century. Gauguin’s work – painting, sculpture, prints and ceramics – is discussed in the light of his public persona, his relations with his contemporaries, his exhibitions and their critical reception. His private world, beliefs and aspirations are revealed through his extensive cache of journals, letters and other writings. Fully updated throughout, drawing on the insights of thirty years of scholarship since its first edition, Thomson’s text remains the best introduction to this controversial and often contradictory artist.

Mystikken og myterne omkring kunstneren Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) lever i bedste velgående. Hyldet som en af den tidlige modernismes mest betydningsfulde figurer, men samtidig fordømt for sit arbejde og sin karakter. Bogen sætter fokus på Gauguins virke og et eftermæle, der forbliver tvetydigt. Diskussionen om hans kunst og person er ikke blevet mindre relevant i en tid, hvor #MeToo sætter nyt fokus på Gauguins forhold til mindreårige piger og hans andel i kolonialismen i Fransk Polynesien. Alligevel sælges hans malerier stadig for astronomiske beløb og kæmpeudstillinger præger museer verden over – Gauguins status som berømt geni er uanfægtet. Det er på tide at betragte mesteren og monsteret som uadskillelige størrelser. Med Flemming Friborgs fascinerende bog anskues Gauguins metode og moral som uløseligt forbundne i et omhyggeligt plejet, personligt brand. Men moderniteten havde store omkostninger, kunstnerisk og personligt.

Published in conjunction with the exhibition Gauguin: Metamorphoses at The Museum of Modern Art, this volume explores the remarkable relationship between Paul Gauguin’s rare and extraordinary prints and transfer drawings, and his better-known paintings and sculptures in wood and ceramic. Created in several discreet bursts of activity from 1889 until his death in 1903, these remarkable works on paper reflect Gauguin’s experiments with a range of mediums, from radically ‘primitive’ woodcuts that extend from the sculptural gouging of his carved wood reliefs, to jewel-like watercolour monotypes and large, mysterious transfer drawings. Richly illustrated with approximately 190 works in a range of mediums, Gauguin: Metamorphoses explores the artist’s radically experimental approach to techniques and his pivotal place in the history of art. An introductory essay by Starr Figura considers the significance of Gauguin’s innovative printmaking and the relationship between his prints and works in painting and sculpture. Elizabeth Childs writes on Gauguin’s radical wood sculptures, using them as a touchstone from which to further investigate his peripatetic practice. An essay by Hal Foster addresses Gauguin’s ‘primitivism’ and its aesthetic and cultural implications. An essay by Erika Mosier offers a conservator’s insights into Gauguin’s unusual printmaking techniques.

Published in conjunction with the exhibition Gauguin: Metamorphoses at The Museum of Modern Art, this volume explores the remarkable relationship between Paul Gauguin’s rare and extraordinary prints and transfer drawings, and his better-known paintings and sculptures in wood and ceramic. Created in several discreet bursts of activity from 1889 until his death in 1903, these remarkable works on paper reflect Gauguin’s experiments with a range of mediums, from radically ‘primitive’ woodcuts that extend from the sculptural gouging of his carved wood reliefs, to jewel-like watercolour monotypes and large, mysterious transfer drawings. Richly illustrated with approximately 190 works in a range of mediums, Gauguin: Metamorphoses explores the artist’s radically experimental approach to techniques and his pivotal place in the history of art. An introductory essay by Starr Figura considers the significance of Gauguin’s innovative printmaking and the relationship between his prints and works in painting and sculpture. Elizabeth Childs writes on Gauguin’s radical wood sculptures, using them as a touchstone from which to further investigate his peripatetic practice. An essay by Hal Foster addresses Gauguin’s ‘primitivism’ and its aesthetic and cultural implications. An essay by Erika Mosier offers a conservator’s insights into Gauguin’s unusual printmaking techniques.