by Liz Heron (Translator), Jean-LucCoatalem (Author)
A sepia picture of an Anglo-Polynesian woman bought at auction by the author leads him to set off following the traces left by Gauguin of his travels round the globe. Who was the woman in the painting and why did Gauguin paint the face of her son, Atiti, on the day of his death at Papeete? He decides to go to the South Seas in search of the woman and her story. And so starts the author's reconstruction of Gauguin's life, an artist who thought he could find himself by escaping from reality, a man who reinvented exoticism, and finally lost his mind. Accessible and compelling, IN SEARCH OF GAUGUIN is a spiritual, human and geographical quest which takes in Holland, Brittany, Provence, Denmark, Panama, Martinique and Tahiti. Coatalem travels in the company of dead painters, patrons, art dealers, and the women of the south seas. Who was the true Gauguin? A businessman chasing sales of his work? A father of five children left behind in Copenhagen. A mystic? A genius?
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Publisher: W&N
Published: 11 Mar 2004
ISBN 10: 0297829688
ISBN 13: 9780297829683
Book Overview: Centenary of Gauguin's death in 2003 coincides with international exhibition tour which will be shown in London at the National Gallery. Extraordinary recreation of the life and loves of Gauguin, his relationship with Van Gogh, his secret mistresses, his art. A carefully-researched recreation of artistic life at the end of the nineteenth century. Wonderful imagery and description of places visited. Full support of the Institut Francais to promote at publication.