Gauguin Museum

Elegant Book To Mark Opening Of Gauguin Museum

On June 15 last year, in the

district of Papeari, Tahiti, the

Governor of French Polynesia,

Mr. Jean Sicurani, officially

opened a museum to perpetuate :he memory of the French jainter Paul Gauguin, who lived n Tahiti for two periods be ween 1891 and 1901. rHE idea of building the museum had been first suggested in 1959 )y Father Patrick O'Reilly, the well mown historian of the French Father O’Reilly (who is French lespite his name) felt that, with an ncreasing number of tourists visiting fahiti following the then-projected »pening of the international jet air •ort at Faaa, it would be regrettable f the island could not show them ny memorial dedicated to Gauguin.

Father O’Reilly put his idea to the •■ondation Singer-Polignac, which greed to sponsor it.

The fondation was able to buy a ite for the museum at Papeari, A Parisian architect, Claude Bach, fas engaged to design the museum, diich is strikingly modern in style, ts most notable feature is the library, fhich has a tall, pyramidal roof.

Although the museum contains no aintings by Gauguin, a large amount f Gauguiniana in the shape of ooks, letters, photographs, reproduc ons of paintings, etc., has been athered together.

Among the books in the museum library there is no doubt a copy of one called Le Musee Gauguin. This is an elegant production of 60 pages or so that was issued in Paris in an edition of 1,000 copies last December as a souvenir of the inauguration of the museum.

The book contains an account of the genesis and building of the museum, the text of speeches made at its opening by Professor Roger Heim, president of the Fondation Singer-Polignac, and Governor Sicurani; and a couple of dozen

photographs.

The book is an attractive collector’s item; but one which few collectors appear likely to get their hands on, because, as far as we know, it has not been issued for sale. Our copy was sent to us by Professor Heim.— RL.