Paul Gauguin — Polynesian Woman with Children Print

About Paul Gauguin

French · 1848–1903

Paul Gauguin was born in Paris and spent much of his early childhood in Peru. After work in the merchant marine and navy, he became a stockbroker in Paris. Painting began as a pursuit alongside that career. He collected Impressionist art and worked with artists including Pissarro and Cézanne, before deciding to paint full-time in 1883.

Gauguin exhibited with the Impressionists but sought a language less dependent on recording light as it appeared. Strong colour, simplified forms and remembered or imagined subjects became central to his work. He painted, made prints, carved and worked in ceramics. His self-portraits and writing reveal an artist actively constructing and questioning his own public identity.