Gauguin: Maker of Myth attempts to trace Paul Gauguin's (1848 -
1903) unique approach to storytelling. Over 100 works from
public and private collections from around the world are on
view. A Post-Impressionist and a pioneer of modernism, Gauguin’s
powerful and bold images were seen as radical as he distanced
himself from the influence of Impressionism. Eugène Henri Paul
Gauguin was born in Paris and spent his early childhood in Peru.
Joining the merchant navy at seventeen he travelled for six
years, visiting South America, Scandinavia and other parts of
the globe. In 1871 he joined a Paris stock broking firm and in
1873 married a Danish woman, painting in his spare time. In
1883, with five children to support, he resigned from his job,
determined to pursue an artistic career. From 1886, separated
from his family, Gauguin became increasingly disenchanted with
Paris and worked mainly in Brittany, with influential spells in
Martinique and Arles. After leaving Europe for Tahiti in 1891,
apart from two further yea