Still life with fan

1883

Becomes a Professional Artist

From 1883 Gauguin was a professional artist: he gave up his work as a broker and devoted all his time to painting.

1884 – april 1885 · Bopæl

Frederiksberg

1884–1885

Break with His Family

In 1884 Gauguin moved with his family to Copenhagen, where he worked for a time as a broker; after he devoted himself entirely to painting, his wife, left without means, abandoned him, taking their five children. In 1885 he returned to Paris with his son Clovis and spent his first winter in real poverty.

april 1885 · Bopæl

Nørregade

October – December 1888

Nine Weeks with Van Gogh in Arles

In 1888, at Theo's insistence, Gauguin worked for nine weeks with Vincent van Gogh in his Yellow House in Arles. Their relationship deteriorated: on the evening of 23 December 1888, according to Gauguin's later account, Vincent came at him with a razor and then cut off his own ear; Gauguin left Arles, and they never saw each other again.

1 April 1891

Departure for Tahiti

On 1 April 1891, after a final visit to his wife and children in Copenhagen, Gauguin sailed for Tahiti, intending to escape European civilization and "everything that is artificial and conventional." He spent his first three months in Papeete, then set up a studio in a bamboo hut at Mataiea.