Gauguin's Skirt

Paul Gauguin is generally thought to have understood little of the Tahitian people after his self-exile at the end of the 19th century. But in this original work based on a rich choice of archival photos and artworks, Eisenman (The Temptation of Saint Redon) argues convincingly that Gauguin was sharper than most art historians have thought, especially about erotic role-playing in Tahitian society, but also about the native people's political aspirations. Establishing these points, Eisenman, an art history professor Los Angeles's Occidental College, draws on his own recent trip to Tahiti, in the middle of the anti-French nuclear testing protests in 1995, where he attended erotic dances at public protests, and a transvestite beauty contest, Miss Mode '95. His point is that in Tahiti, eros was never separated from politics, and Gauguin understood this fairly well, although he wasn't immune to the racist and imperialist ideas of his time. While written in standard abstruse art-historical prose, the book is an attractive item, thanks to 110 reproductions (seven in color) of Gauguin's works and of photos circa 1900. Unfortunately, the Tahitian protests, blacked out of TV coverage in France, had so little impact that they now are more part of art history than politics. More fun than most art history books, Eisenman's study convinces us that Gauguin, too, when he wasn't busy dying of tertiary syphilis, had a great time in Tahiti as well. Makes you want to plan your next vacation. (May)