Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) was one of the most formidable artists of the late nineteenth century, and one whose work was to have a profound influence on the development of art in the twentieth century. He began as an Impressionist, but went on to develop a more two-dimensional, richly-coloured style in his constant search for a ‘lost paradise’ untouched by nineteenth-century civilization. Gauguin’s romantic and tragic life story is mirrored in the works in this outstanding anthology. Included are 48 full-page colour plates, not only of his best known, beautiful , atmospheric paintings of Tahiti in which Gauguin attempted to reconstruct the perfect life which he had failed to find in reality, but also of many powerful works which reflect the artist’s contact with other early modern masters – Degas, Van Gogh, Cezanne.

Art historian Lesley Stevenson has written an informative, clear commentary to accompany each colour plate.