Published to accompany the exhibition at The National Gallery of Canada, 24 May - 8 September 2019 and The National Gallery, London, 7 October 2019- 26 January 2020.

The first in-depth investigation of Gauguin's portraits, revealing how the artist expanded the possibilities of the genre in new and exciting ways.

Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) broke with accepted conventions and challenged audiences to expand their understanding of visual expression. Nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in his portraits, a genre he remained engaged with throughout all phases of his career. Bringing together more than 60 of Gauguin's portraits in a wide variety of media that includes painting, works on paper, and sculpture, this handsomely illustrated volume is the first focused investigation of the multifaceted ways the artist approached the subject. This welcome addition to the scholarship on one of the 19th century's most innovative and controversial artists reveals fascinating insights into the crucial role that portraiture played in Gauguin's overall artistic practice.

Reviews

'Its large-format reproductions of paintings and sculptures are a persuasive reminder – those colors!– of what made Gauguin the modernist pioneer he was, and the contemporary star he is', The New York Times.