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The Siesta

ca. 1892–94
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 822
The unaffected grace and communal ease of Tahitian women impressed Gauguin enormously. The artist worked on this painting over an extended period, incorporating numerous changes. The skirt of the woman in the foreground, for example, was originally bright red; there was a dog in the position now occupied by the basket at lower right; and the woman seated at the left edge of the porch was previously situated further to the left.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Siesta
  • Artist: Paul Gauguin (French, Paris 1848–1903 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands)
  • Date: ca. 1892–94
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 35 x 45 3/4 in. (88.9 x 116.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Collection, Gift of Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg, 1993, Bequest of Walter H. Annenberg, 2002
  • Object Number: 1993.400.3
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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Portfolio of facsimiles of works by Paul Gauguin, Berlin (Marees Gesellschaft), 1926
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Study for Maternité II, Paul Gauguin French, Graphite
Study for Maternité II
Paul Gauguin
1899
Noa Noa. Voyage de Tahiti
Paul Gauguin
Marées-Gesellschaft
1926
Le Sourire, Paul Gauguin French, Woodcut on china paper
Le Sourire
Paul Gauguin
1899
Manao Tupaupau (Spirit of the Dead Watching)
Paul Gauguin
1894

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