1848-1903

Paul Gauguin (French, 1848-1903) 

Paul Gauguin was a printmaker, sculptor, and painter whose work is known for its expirimental color palette and flattened forms of figures. He grew up in Paris and was heavily influenced by the revolutionary art movements happening there during his youth such as Post-Impressionism and Symbolism. 

Gauguin had a formal education and was initially a stockbroker until becoming a painter full-time after the french financial crisis of 1882. He was largely self taught as an artist, but learned from his impressionist peers such as his mentor Camille Pissarro. In the 1890s, Gauguin visited Tahiti and solidified his own artistic style by painting native Tahitian locals and landscapes. Gauguin revisted Tahiti at the end of his life and died there in 1903.

His work is held in the collections of The National Gallery of Art, The Met Museum in New York, The Musee d'Orsay, The Art Institute of Chicago, The St. Louis Art Museum, and many other institutions.