Paul Gauguin

The very rare woodcut printed in grey-black, 1899-1900, one of only seven proof impressions printed by the artist (there was no edition), of which at least four are in major museum collections, on thin japan paper, light touches of pink wash possibly by the artist, with margins, in good condition apart from very faint paper discoloration (mainly at the edges of sheet)

Ex coll. H. M. Petiet (cf. L. 2021a)

Created as title for the magazine "Le Sourire" but not used in one of the regular editions.  The magazine, published by Gauguin for the first time in 1899 to protest the deplorable state of affairs under the colonial administration, was comprised of duplicated handwritten texts, often illustrated with woodcuts and drawings.  Nine issues of the magazine were published in editions of 25 to 30 copies.

Literature:

Gilles Artur, Jean-Pierre Fourcade, Jean-Pierre Zingg, Noa Noa, Édition de l'Association des Amis du Musée Gauguin a Tahiti, New York, 1987, illustrated

Collections:

1 impression, Paris, Louvre (Cabinet des Dessins), pasted on page 186 of manuscript "Noa Noa"
1 impression, Chicago, The Art Institute (gift of Cornelius Crane, New York, formerly Victor Segalen Collection)
1 impression, Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art (Rosenwald Collection, formerly G.D. de Monfreid)
1 impression, Stockholm, National Museum
1 impression, formerly Paris, H.M. Petiet Collection, printed verso on a cut Roy-impression of "Maruru", compare cat.No.22