Paul GauguinFrench, 1848–1903Merahi metua no Tehamana (Tehamana Has Many Parents or The Ancestors of Tehamana)
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
Art Institute of Chicago
Room247Chicago, United States
On public display.
- Checked
- 4 hours ago
- In this state since
- Aug 19, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
Merahi metua no Tehamana ('Tehamana Has Many Parents' or 'The Ancestors of Tehamana') is an 1893 painting by the French artist Paul Gauguin, currently in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The painting is a portrait of Paul Gauguin's wife Teha'amana during his first visit to Tahiti in 1891–1893. This marriage has always provoked controversy because it was arranged and completed in the course of a single afternoon and Gauguin claimed Teha'amana was just thirteen years old at the time.
A sculpted head is also known to be a portrait of Teha'amana. She is assumed to have posed for numerous other paintings of the time, including the celebrated Spirit of the Dead Watching.
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1980.613
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago: the museum's own open data · fetched 4 days ago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0
Meanwhile, in the life of Paul Gauguin
The whole life1870s–1891 · Workplace
Paris
1886–1891 · Workplace
Pont-Aven
February 1891
Successful Auction at the Hôtel Drouot
A successful auction of paintings at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris in February 1891, aided by a glowing review from Octave Mirbeau, together with a banquet and a benefit concert, provided the funds for the journey to Tahiti.
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.
1891–1901 · Workplace
Tahiti
28 June 1895
Final Departure for Oceania
On 28 June 1895 Gauguin sailed once more for Tahiti — Eugène Carrière arranged cheap passage for him — arriving in September; he never saw Europe again. He spent the next six years mostly near Papeete, building a spacious house at Punaauia.
![Pair of Wooden Shoes (Sabots) [left], Paul Gauguin, 1889/1890](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/44a731a9-e900-4898-a282-01034fcaa6ca/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
