National first: gallery acquires a Gauguin

Gauguin’s The Blue Roof or Farm at Le Pouldu…
“an important acquisition for the national collection,” says Nick Mitzevich.

by Helen Musa

The National Gallery has acquired The Blue Roof or Farm at Le Pouldu painted by French Impressionist master Paul Gauguin in 1890.

It is the first painting by the artist to enter an Australian public collection.

The painting is currently on display in the gallery’s exhibition Gauguin’s World: Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao.

National Gallery director Dr Nick Mitzevich described the painting as “an important acquisition for the national collection. It captures a key point in art history – the moment when the artist emerged as an intensely original master, taking Impressionist colour schemes and transcending them to be bolder and more daring”.

Following the exhibition, the work will join the permanent collection displays of the National Gallery, which has seven prints by Gauguin in its collection. The acquisition was made possible with the support of the National Gallery of Australia Foundation. The price has not been disclosed. It will be on show in the permanent collection galleries in late 2024.

ONE RESPONSE TO NATIONAL FIRST: GALLERY ACQUIRES A GAUGUIN

Tony Magee says: 1 August 2024 at 12:05pm

Great acquisition. My mother and I are looking forward to seeing the Gauguin Exhibition at the NGA on August 9. Remember the massive hoo-ha when Gough Whitlam purchased Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles in 1973 for $1.3 million? After its most recent valuation of $500 million, Sydney Morning Herald cartoonist John Shakespeare drew a simple yet very effective sketch of Gough triumphantly sitting atop the painting with the caption “It’s time – to have the last laugh!”

First published at Canberra City News, August 1, 2024