Month: April 2026

Book Overview (from Amazon.com) An original and revealing portrait of the misunderstood French Post-Impressionist artist. Paul Gauguin’s legend as a transgressive genius arises as much from his biography as his aesthetically daring Polynesian paintings. Gauguin is chiefly known for his pictures that eschewed convention, to celebrate the beauty of an indigenous people and their culture. In this gorgeously illustrated, myth-busting work, Sue Prideaux reveals that while Gauguin was a complicated man, his scandalous reputation is largely undeserved. Self-taught, Gauguin became a towering artist in his brief life, not just in painting but in ceramics and graphics. He fled the bustle of Paris for the beauty of Tahiti, where he lived simply and worked consistently to expose the tragic results of French Colonialism. Gauguin fought for the rights of Indigenous people, exposing French injustices and corruption in the local newspaper and acting as advocate for the Tahitian people in the French colonial courts. His unconventional career and bold, breathtaking art influenced not only Vincent van Gogh, but Matisse and Picasso. Wild Thing upends much of what we thought we knew about Gauguin through new primary research, including the resurfaced manuscript of Gauguin’s most important writing, the untranslated memoir of Gauguin’s son, and a sample of Gauguin’s teeth that disproves the pernicious myth of his syphilis. In the first full biography of Paul Gauguin in thirty years, Sue Prideaux illuminates the extraordinary oeuvre of a visionary artist vital to the French avant-garde. The result is “a brilliantly readable and compassionate study of Gauguin—not just as a painter, sculptor, carver and potter, but as a human soul perpetually searching for what is always just out of reach” (Artemis Cooper, Spectator). Where to Buy Please be advised that the link provided below is an affiliate link. Kim Cesaretti, artist, will receive a small commission on any sales made via the link at no additional cost to the buyer. Thank you in advance for supporting the artist's educational outreach efforts. Happy reading! Reader Reviews [site_reviews assigned_posts="post_id"] Leave a Review [site_reviews_form assign_to="post_id"] Average Rating [site_reviews_summary assigned_posts="post_id"] Next Book Club Meeting Our next Art Book Club Meeting will be May 8, 2026 at 1pm. Check the events calendar for more information. Join Our Art Book Club Community

Month: April 2026

May 2026 Art Book Club – Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux

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