56, rue Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Paris, France
Paul Gauguin was born in Paris in June 1848, amidst the bloody 'June Days' of the 1848 Revolution. His parents were liberals. His grandmother had organised early socialist movements, and was under active surveillance by the police. Gauguin would grow to idolise her.
Lima, Peru
Gauguin's family escaped to Lima, Peru where his mother's extended family held high status. Until the age of 6, Gauguin enjoyed a privileged upbringing, living in mansions surrounded by servants. However, the Peruvian civil conflicts of 1854 soon forced the family back to Paris.
Rio de Jainerio, Brazil
After attending several prestigious schools, at 17 Gauguin enlisted in the merchant navy, spending 13 months sailing between Le Havre and Rio de Jainerio. He then joined the crew of a ship named Jérôme-Napoléon, sailing around the world until 1871.
15, rue La Bruyère
While he was at sea, Gauguin's mother died, and her house was destroyed in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. On returning to dry land, Gauguin lived at 15 Rue La Bruyère and found a job as a stockbroker. When the stock market collapsed in 1882, he decided to become a painter.
Garden under Snow (1879) by Paul GauguinMuseum of Fine Arts, Budapest
Gauguin had never trained as an artist, but in the 9th Arrondissement he was surrounded by fashionable painters and visited galleries frequently. He became friends with Camille Pissarro and painted with Cézanne, though his early paintings didn't bring much praise.
Copenhagen, Denmark
In 1873 Gauguin married a Danish woman, Mette-Sophie Gad, and had five children. In 1884, the family moved to Copenhagen. Desperate for money, Gauguin took a job as a tarpaulin salesman. He couldn't speak Danish, and the tarpaulins didn't sell. The marriage soon broke down.
Pont-Aven, France
Gauguin returned to Paris. Living alone and in poverty, in 1886 he decided to move to the artist colony of Pont-Aven, where he found himself unexpectedly popular.
Breton Girls Dancing, Pont-Aven (1888) by Paul GauguinNational Gallery of Art, Washington DC
He painted landscapes and the Breton peasants of the region in a style clearly influenced by Edgar Degas.
Martinique
In 1887, Gauguin and his friend Charles Laval travelled to Panama, and on their return journey ended up in Martinique. Both Laval and Gauguin fell ill with dysentery and malaria, and soon returned to France.
Vincent van Gogh painting sunflowers (1888) by Paul GauguinVan Gogh Museum
Arles, France
In October 1888, Gauguin accepted an invitation by his admirer Vincent van Gogh to move to Arles, where Vincent hoped to start the 'Studio of the South' to rival the Pont-Aven School up north. Gauguin had never met Van Gogh, but accepted the invitation.
Their relationship was close but tempestuous. They argued constantly about art and morals. It was following an argument with Gauguin that Vincent van Gogh infamously sliced off his ear. Gauguin, understandably concerned, soon left. But the two continued to exchange letters .
Tahiti, French Polynesia
Gauguin visited Tahiti twice, first in 1891, and again in 1895. These were his most productive, and controversial, periods. He seems to have imagined the islands as primitive, pleasure-driven idylls, and been disappointed when he first arrived.
Merahi metua no Tehamana (1893) by Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903)The Art Institute of Chicago
He painted many portraits of the island's young girls, and even 'married' one, Teha'amana, just thirteen years old, in a native ceremony. Teha'amana was the subject of many of his paintings, and the father of his child, but in 1893 he abandoned her.
Marquesas Islands
After many years living and working in Tahiti, he realised his dream of moving to the Marquesas Islands. In 1901 he settled in Atuona on the island of Hiva-Oa. His health was failing him, and he suffered from undiagnosed syphilis.
Contes barbares (Barbarian Tales) (1902) by Paul GauguinMuseum Folkwang
Gauguin increasingly alienated himself. By 1903, his body was ravaged by disease, his young wife Vaeoho had left him, the local bishop and police were concerned by his primitivist ideas, and he wrote open letters attacking the authorities. He died suddenly on the 8th of May.
Learn more about the unsettling legacy of Paul Gauguin here.
