PAUL GAUGUIN the PRINTS PAULGAUGUIN Tobia Bezzola Elizabeth Prelinger THEPRINTS

5243_Gauguin_001-160_ENGLISCH 26.09.12 11:10 Seite 2 PAUUL GAUGUIN THE PRINTS 5243_Gauguin_001-160_ENGLISCH 26.09.12 11:10 Seite 3 PAUL GAUGUIN THE PRINTS PAULGAUGUIN Tobia Bezzola Elizabeth Prelinger THEPRINTS PRESTEL Munich · London · New York 5243_Gauguin_001-160_ENGLISCH 26.09.12 11:10 Seite 4 5243_Gauguin_001-160_ENGLISCH 26.09.12 11:10 Seite 5 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 5243_Gauguin_001-160_ENGLISCH 26.09.12 11:10 Seite 6 5243_Gauguin_001-160_ENGLISCH 26.09.12 11:10 Seite 7 5243_Gauguin_001-160_ENGLISCH 26.09.12 11:10 Seite 8 5243_Gauguin_001-160_ENGLISCH 26.09.12 11:10 Seite 9 5243_Gauguin_001-160_ENGLISCH 26.09.12 11:10 Seite 10 10 Foreword and Thanks Christoph Becker 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 and 1890s 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 5243_Gauguin_001-160_ENGLISCH 26.09.12 11:10 Seite 11 11 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! UNVERKÄUFLICHE LESEPROBE Kunsthaus Zürich Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, Elizabeth Prelinger, Tobia Bezzola Paul Gauguin The Prints Gebundenes Buch, Leinen, 160 Seiten, 24x27 80 farbige Abbildungen ISBN: 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 als Schöpfer 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 seines druckgrafischen Gesamtwerkes, zumeist Holzschnitten, führt er uns die andere Seite seines Südseetraumes vor Augen: Dämonen, Fabelwesen und Traumgestalten aus dem uralten Sagenschatz der Insulaner bevölkern die expressiv gestalteten Blätter, die vom Künstler häufig von Hand koloriert wurden. Diese Arbeiten, u. a. aus seiner NOA NOA-Serie, zeigen den eigenständigen Charakter des Holzschnittwerkes dieses Kunst-Revolutionärs. (Englische Ausgabe des Ausstellungskatalogs) .

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