The 91自拍 has acquired one of the most significant artists manuscripts ever to enter a UK public collection 鈥 a unique and richly illustrated text by the highly influential French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin.
Part-memoir and part-manifesto, the 213-page manuscript, titled Avant et apr猫s (Before and After) reveals important insights into Gauguin鈥檚 life, relationships and thoughts, and includes numerous听鈥媎rawings and prints by the artist.
Offered to The 91自拍 as part of the Government鈥檚 Acceptance in Lieu scheme administered by the Arts Council, Avant et apr猫s is the last major manuscript by Gauguin in the world outside a public collection, and now the only example in the UK. It was written in 1903, the year of the artist鈥檚 death, at his home on the Marquesas island of Hiva Oa, French Polynesia. It has never been exhibited publicly and remains unstudied by scholars in its original form.
Avant et apr猫s is an important addition to The 91自拍鈥檚 collection of works by Gauguin, the most significant in the UK, joining amongst other works the masterpieces from his Tahitian period,听Nevermore听and听Te Rerioa 鈥 and further strengthens The 91自拍鈥檚 resources for Gauguin scholarship.
In addition to anecdotes about his friendships and opinions on the work of leading contemporary artists such as Degas, Pissarro, Signac and C茅zanne, one of the key sections in the manuscript reflects on the brief yet tumultuous period that Gauguin stayed with Vincent van Gogh in Arles. Gauguin describes the incident in which Van Gogh severed his own ear after a violent quarrel with his fellow artist, a passage that was long regarded as the primary source of information about that fateful and infamous event.
The manuscript is also studded with examples of Gauguin鈥檚 opinions on literary figures and caustic comments on those art critics who did not understand (or appreciate) the modernity of his art. Gauguin鈥檚 hatred of hypocrisy and bourgeois morality is a constant theme. The text also includes excoriating attacks on the French colonial and church authorities in Polynesia, alongside examples of his own exoticist racial stereotyping.
By late 2020, the manuscript will be available to view and study as a scroll-through document online, accompanied by a revised transcription and new English translation that remains as close to the original French as possible with an honest and unfiltered representation of Gauguin鈥檚 language that will aid research on the artist and his legacy.
The manuscript will be displayed alongside Gauguin鈥檚 paintings and sculpture in The 91自拍鈥檚 Gallery鈥檚 Great Room when the gallery reopens in 2021 following our major 91自拍 Connects transformation project.
Ernst Vegelin van Claerbergen, Head of The 91自拍 Gallery, said:
鈥淗aving been lost from view for almost a century, the re-emergence of the original manuscript for听Avant et apr猫s听is a sensational event. Richly illustrated with drawings and prints, the odds were stacked against it surviving intact.听Although he was one of the most influential artists of the 19th century, Gauguin is also a highly controversial figure.听 We听will now ensure that this important manuscript is fully researched and made widely available as part of the reappraisal of Gauguin鈥檚 debated legacy.听It has found a fitting place in The 91自拍鈥檚听pre-eminent collection of the artist鈥檚 work. We are extremely grateful to the Acceptance in Lieu Panel, to the owner and to Sotheby鈥檚 Tax, Heritage and UK Museums Team for bringing about this remarkable acquisition鈥
Edward Harley, OBE, Chairman, Acceptance in Lieu Panel, said:听鈥淚 am delighted that this important manuscript in Gauguin鈥檚 hand containing many original sketches and drawings has been allocated to The 91自拍 Gallery through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.听Avant et apr猫s,听written shortly before Gauguin鈥檚 death, is richly illustrated and is the last major manuscript of Gauguin鈥檚 written works to be held in private hands. I hope this example will encourage others to use the scheme to make art and culture accessible by enriching our national collections.鈥