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PAUU L GAUGUINTHE PRINTS

5243_Gauguin_001-160_ENGLISCH 26.09.12 11:10 Seite 2

PAU L GAUGUINTHE PRINTS

To b i a B e z z o l a

E l i z a b e t h P r e l i n g e r

PAUL GAUGUINTHE PRINTS

PRESTEL

Munich · London · New York


Foreword and Thanks 10

Christoph Becker

Running Wild as Theme and Method 13

Tobia Bezzola

CATALOGUE 18

Elizabeth Prelinger

Savage Poetry – The Graphic Art of Paul Gauguin 20

The ‘Suite Volpini’ 29

The Portrait of Stéphane Mallarmé 51

The ‘Noa Noa Suite’ 59

‘Manao Tupapau’ (She Thinks of the Spirit/The Spirit Thinks of Her) 87

‘A Fisherman Drinking Beside His Canoe’ (Le Pêcheur buvant auprès de sa pirogue) 91

‘Oviri’ (Savage) 95

The ‘Vollard Suite’ 103

‘Le Sourire’ 131

APPENDIX 140

List of Works 143

Bibliography 153

Imprint 157


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The prints and drawings made by Paul Gauguin (b. June 7, 1848, in Paris; d. May 8, 1903, in Atuona on Hiva Oa, the Marquesas Islands) in the 1880s and1890s were groundbreaking works of art. Gauguin is to be placed, as a painter, at

modernism’s outset; and he became one of the most renowned artists of the era. His

works on paper are a crucial element of his art and, more than this, it is impossible to

fully understand Paul Gauguin the artist without paying due attention to them.

His first important series of prints – the so-called Suite Volpini of zincographs in

black on brilliant yellow paper – dates to 1889. This series draws together the artistic

advances Gauguin had made during his time in Brittany and on Martinique; it is also an

early demonstration of his growing interest in faraway, exotic lands. During and after his

first voyage to the South Seas in 1891/92, his prints reached an early high point repre-

sented by the complex Noa Noa series, one of the most fascinating manifestations of

modern art. The sheet that gives this series its title – and probably the earliest work in

this group – forms one of the highlights of the present exhibition. During his intense, lin-

gering bouts of illness Gauguin’s production of graphic work increased and by 1895,

when he returned to Tahiti, this was his main artistic activity. Looking at his prints as a

whole, the cliché of the “savage” artist seems to be confirmed at first sight. In these series

we see Gauguin flaunting all of the conventions of commercial prints, despite the fact

that they were actually published, bound and intended for sale and, in this form, deci-

sively shaped the concept of Symbolism. However, on closer examination the art in these

works proves to be radical and insightful to equal degrees and lays bare the drama of a

complex persona beset with doubts, longings and fears. The ideal way to present this

interesting, complicated work is to start with an overview and continue by casting light

on details of its techniques and themes. Daily life, exotic myths, Western religion and

ancient beliefs involving ancestors and demons mingle audaciously in them, whetting

one’s appetite for a deeper understanding of these motifs. Gauguin’s graphic works are

like a mirror in which an artist on a never-ending quest sees himself reflected, seeks reas-

surance, fails and triumphs.

Gauguin printed many of his works himself. Because he had never been taught this

highly-specialised skill his prints seem clumsy at first glance, as for instance when plates

or blocks with different motifs and colours have been printed atop one another, resulting

Foreword and Thanks

C h r i s t o p h B e c k e r

10


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in the outlines becoming blurred and generating a peculiar and mysterious depth as

well as strange colour schemes. There are countless variations of different states because

Gauguin was constantly experimenting with papers, colours and printing techniques. To

this day new versions are still coming to light that were hitherto unknown to scholars in

the field. Each one of these sheets is a one-off, a unique work in its own right.

This exhibition could not have been realised in its present form without years of

meticulous scholarly research into the œuvre of Paul Gauguin and his graphic works. It

is a joy and a very special honour to present such a treasure as this to the public for the

first time, a treasure brought together with years of dedication. Our heartfelt gratitude

goes here to Ben Frija of Galleri K in Oslo, who so generously gave us his help and

advice. We also owe a deep debt of gratitude to our expert scholar on this project, our

friend and colleague Professor Elizabeth Prelinger, who teaches and researches Modern

Art at Georgetown University, Washington D. C. – we thank her for the essays on the

individual works and groups of works in the catalogue. We are also sincerely grateful to

Eberhard W. Kornfeld and Christine Stauffer for kindly supporting our efforts in so

many ways.

Tobia Bezzola initiated the project and has directed it with his customary care

and vision. He was superbly supported by our colleagues on the exhibition team led by

Carlotta Graedel Matthäi and Franziska Lentzsch, who so skilfully managed the organi-

sation of the exhibition and the editing of the catalogue. So too, he was ably assisted by

Gerda Kram, who oversaw the transportation and insurance of these valuable exhibits.

Jean Rosston took on the complex conservational supervision of the works and prepared

them for the exhibition. Thanks to the generosity of a foundation, not named here

according to its wishes, Monique Spaeti found a way of ensuring welcome financial sup-

port for the realisation of this project. Thank you to all members of the Kunsthaus staff

for their outstanding teamwork!

This publication accompanies a compelling, concentrated exhibition and, with its

excellent reproductions, conveys an impression of the variety and sheer wealth of the

rightly celebrated and enduringly intriguing art of Paul Gauguin. It is our privilege and

pleasure to present this work!

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UNVERKÄUFLICHE LESEPROBE

Kunsthaus Zürich Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, ElizabethPrelinger, Tobia Bezzola

Paul GauguinThe Prints

Gebundenes Buch, Leinen, 160 Seiten, 24x2780 farbige AbbildungenISBN: 978-3-7913-5244-2

Prestel

Erscheinungstermin: Oktober 2012

Die dunkle und geheimnisvolle Seite der Südsee Paul Gauguin (1848–1903), einer der Gründerväter der modernen Kunst, ist vor allem alsSchöpfer leuchtender Südseefantasien in Öl bekannt. Sein schmales druckgrafisches OEuvre,das für die Entwicklung der modernen Kunst jedoch von außerordentlicher Bedeutung war,stand bislang im Schatten der Wahrnehmung. Auf den etwas mehr als 60 Arbeiten seinesdruckgrafischen Gesamtwerkes, zumeist Holzschnitten, führt er uns die andere Seite seinesSüdseetraumes vor Augen: Dämonen, Fabelwesen und Traumgestalten aus dem uraltenSagenschatz der Insulaner bevölkern die expressiv gestalteten Blätter, die vom Künstlerhäufig von Hand koloriert wurden. Diese Arbeiten, u. a. aus seiner NOA NOA-Serie, zeigenden eigenständigen Charakter des Holzschnittwerkes dieses Kunst-Revolutionärs. (EnglischeAusgabe des Ausstellungskatalogs)

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