Wild Thing

by Sue Prideaux
Wild Thing cover
Good Books rating 4.27
Art, Design, and Photography
Technical
  • ID: 3964
  • Added: 2025-10-20
  • Updated: 2025-10-20
  • ISBN: 9781324020431
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
  • Published: 2025-05-13
  • Reviews: 3

Wild Thing offers a fresh and revealing portrait of Paul Gauguin, debunking long-held myths about the French Post-Impressionist artist. Sue Prideaux delves into Gauguin's life, highlighting his contributions to art and his advocacy for indigenous people in Tahiti. Through new primary research, including Gauguin's resurfaced memoir and his son's untranslated account, Prideaux paints a compassionate picture of an artist who was much more than his scandalous reputation./n/nGauguin's journey from Paris to Tahiti is explored in detail, revealing his fight against French colonialism and his dedication to exposing injustices. The book also examines his influence on other artists like Van Gogh, Matisse, and Picasso, and his diverse artistic talents in painting, ceramics, and graphics. Wild Thing is a comprehensive biography that illuminates Gauguin's extraordinary life and work, offering a nuanced understanding of his legacy.

Reviews
Travels with My Art · 2025-04-14
compelling 4.00

The biography is highly recommended despite the subject's controversial nature. It offers a nuanced look at Gauguin's complex life.

The reviewer highly recommends Sue Prideaux's biography of Paul Gauguin, not because they particularly like Gauguin but because the book provides a fascinating and nuanced portrayal of the artist. They appreciate how the biography delves into Gauguin's complex character, offering a balanced view of his artistic genius and personal flaws. The reviewer finds the book compelling and well-researched, making it a must-read for those interested in Gauguin's life and work.

Quick quotes

    I have just finished Sue Prideaux's latest biography and I am going to highly recommend this, not because I like Paul Gauguin.

    The biography provides a nuanced look at Gauguin's complex life.

    It's a fascinating read that offers a balanced view of Gauguin's artistic genius and personal flaws.

Goodreads · 2024-09-12
compassionate 4.30

The book is a brilliantly readable and compassionate study of Gauguin, not just as an artist but as a human being.

The reviewer praises Sue Prideaux's biography as a brilliantly readable and compassionate study of Paul Gauguin. They appreciate how the book goes beyond Gauguin's artistic achievements to explore his inner life and humanity. The reviewer finds the book both engaging and empathetic, offering a comprehensive look at Gauguin's multifaceted personality.

Quick quotes

    The result is a brilliantly readable and compassionate study of Gauguin—not just as a painter, sculptor, carver and potter, but as a human soul.

    The book goes beyond Gauguin's artistic achievements to explore his inner life and humanity.

    It offers a comprehensive look at Gauguin's multifaceted personality.

The Guardian · 2024-09-09
illuminating 4.50

The biography complicates the perception of Gauguin as a bad boy of French art and sheds light on his relationship with Van Gogh.

The reviewer appreciates how Sue Prideaux's biography complicates the traditional view of Paul Gauguin as merely a rebellious figure in French art. By exploring his fraught friendship with Vincent van Gogh, the book offers new insights into Gauguin's character and artistic journey. The reviewer finds the detailed account illuminating and believes it adds depth to the understanding of Gauguin's life and work.

Quick quotes

    This detailed biography complicates our perception of the bad boy of French art.

    It illuminates his fraught friendship with Van Gogh.

    The book offers new insights into Gauguin's character and artistic journey.

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