Two Tahitians Gathering Fruit [recto]

1899/1900

Paul Gauguin

Associated Names
Paul Gauguin

Artist, French, 1848 - 1903

The image shows two individuals from the midsection upwards. One person faces forward, while the other has their back turned towards the viewer, both appearing to be engaged in an activity reaching or holding something above them. The person facing forward has their head slightly tilted, with prominent cheekbones and a serene expression. Their hair is long and flows past their shoulders. The other individual has long, dark hair cascading over their back. Both individuals seem to be wearing minimal clothing with loose fabric covering their bodies. The first person is wearing a circular earring in one ear. The background is abstract with textured, earthy tones, framing the figures without any distinct scenery.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    traced monotype, printed twice, in brown and ocher on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

  • Dimensions

    overall: 62.8 x 51.5 cm (24 3/4 x 20 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1995.47.41.a

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Field 1973, no. 64

Associated Artworks

In this drawing, we see the upper bodies of two individuals. The person on the left is shown from the back, with their head turned slightly to the left, reaching upwards with one arm, grasping a branch with leaves and fruit. Their hair is of medium length and appears wavy, draped down the nape of the neck. The individual is wearing a draped garment that exposes the back and shoulder. Their arm has a band with a pattern. The person on the right is nearly in profile, facing the viewer, with long straight hair tucked behind the ear, where a circular earring is visible. The person also wears a draped garment, and their face is calm and focused. Both individuals are surrounded by stylized leaves and fruit, creating an organic and naturalistic background. The overall background is light with subtle shades, which allows the figures and the foliage to stand out prominently.

Two Tahitians Gathering Fruit [verso]

Paul Gauguin

1899

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

1 of 10 drawings sent by Gauguin to (Ambroise Vollard [1866-1939], Paris) in 1900; Gustave Fayet [1865-1925], Paris; Mme. Huguette Berès; (sale, London, Sotheby's, 30 March 1966, no. 36); (P & D Colnaghi, London); purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, Upperville, VA; gift to NGA, 1995.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1903

  • Exposition Paul Gauguin. Galerie Ambroise Vollard, Paris, 1903, no.10 or 14 (as Tahitiennes).

1906

  • Salon d'Automne, 4me exposition: Oeuvres de Gauguin. Grand Palais, Paris, 1906, no. 43 (as Deux Tahitiennes).

1973

  • Gauguin: Monotypes. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 1973, no. 64.

1988

  • The Art of Paul Gauguin. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, and tour (Washington and Chicago only), 1988-1989, no. 247 (recto and verso repr.).

1999

  • An Enduring Legacy: Masterpieces from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1999-2000.

2003

  • "Gauguin-Tahiti, L'atelier des tropiques", Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,2003-2004, no. 174 (Eng. cat. no. P.218)(exh. in Boston only).

2014

  • Gauguin: Metamorphoses, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2014, no. 161.

2016

  • In Celebration of Paul Mellon, NGA, 2016.

Bibliography

1973

  • Field, Richard S. Paul Gauguin Monotypes. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1973.

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: P. Gauguin; by later hand, lower right in graphite: Gauguin

Wikidata ID

Q75393817

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