Manao Tupapau (She is Haunted by a Spirit)

1894

Paul Gauguin

Associated Names
Paul Gauguin

Artist, French, 1848 - 1903

Louis Roy

Printer, French, 1862 - 1907

This is a painting of fruit arranged in a bowl. The painting presents a large, abstract depiction of fruit, most prominently resembling bananas, sitting in an oval-shaped dish. The majority of the color palette consists of deep blacks, earthy browns, and vivid yellows. The style is bold with an emphasis on strong color contrast and prominent outlines, enhancing the shapes and forms within the image. The use of highlights and shadows suggests a light source coming from above, adding dimensionality to the composition.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    color woodcut on Japan paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 20.5 × 35.5 cm (8 1/16 × 14 in.)
    sheet: 25 × 39.8 cm (9 13/16 × 15 11/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1950.17.82

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Mongan et al. 1988, no. 20, State iv/iv (D)

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Ottokar Mascha (1852-1929, Vienna [Lugt 1904]; Heinrich Stinnes (1867-1932), Cologne [Lugt 4436]

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1954

  • National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1954-1955, no cat.

1956

  • Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), The Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, FL; and The Lowe Gallery, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 1956, no. 61.

1960

  • Artist-Writers: Exhibition of Prints and Drawings, Philadelphia Art Alliance, 1960.

1962

  • Installation during Fine Art Festival, American River College, Sacramento, CA, 1962, no cat.

1967

  • Selection of Post-Impressionist and Expressionist Prints from the Rosenwald Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1967, no cat.

1969

  • Gauguin and Exotic Art, University Gallery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1969, no. 12.

1975

  • Death, Love, and the Maiden, University of Pittsburgh, 1975, no. 176.

2025

  • Gauguin's World, National Gallery of Australia, Parkes; and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2024-2025 (work only shown in Houston), no repro.

Bibliography

1927

  • Guérin, Marcel. L'Oeuvre gravé de Gauguin. 2 vols. Paris: H. Floury, 1927.

1988

  • Mongan, Elizabeth, Eberhard W. Kornfeld, and Harold Joachim. Paul Gauguin: Catalogue Raisonne of his Prints. Berne: Galerie Kornfeld, 1988.

2024

  • Loyrette, Henri, editor._ Gauguin's world : Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao_. Exh. cat. Canberra: National Gallery of Art, Houston: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2024: 262.

Inscriptions

recto: in block at upper left: Manao tupapau; in block at lower left: PGO; verso: none

Markings

recto: Heinrich Stinnes (Lugt 4436) and Ottokar Mascha (Lugt 1904); verso: Ottokar Mascha (Lugt 1904), annotated in graphite 768/o

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q65363995

You may be interested in

Loading Results