GAUGUIN PAUL: (1848-1903)

GAUGUIN PAUL: (1848-1903) French post-Impressionist Artist. Recognized, only after his death, for his experimental use of colour and synthetist style, distinct from Impressionism. Very rare and late Autograph Letter by Paul Gauguin, less than a month before his death, including a list of his paintings which he adds to a corner, two pages, folio, in pencil, n.p., n.d. [April, 1903], to Léonce Brault, his lawyer, in French. Gauguin had just been condemned and presents the court case to his lawyer and friend Léonce Brault, for his defence less than a month before passing away. Gauguin had denounced to the administrator of the Marquesas Islands the gendarme Guichenay de Tahuata who was receiving bribes from American whalers; the latter instructed his colleague from Ivaoa to prosecute Gauguin for "defamation of a gendarme in the exercise of his functions". Gauguin was condemned on 31st March 1903 to three months of prison and 55 francs of fine. He immediately entrusts his friend Léonce Brault with his defence, but he dies on the 8th of May 1903. At the base of the second page, bottom left corner and in vertical, Gauguin annotates 14 titles of his paintings, in bold dark ink, a very rare and extremely interesting list in his hand, which he numbers, including `natures mortes - philosophe - 2 femmes - femme enfant - 2 chevaux - Adam Eve - grande toile - Mataia paysage - religieuse - Mataia avec cheval - Vahine matava´ ("dead natures - philosopher - 2 women - woman child - 2 horses - Adan Eve - large canvas - Mataia landscape - nun - Mataia with horse - Vahine matava") Gauguin reports in his letter about gendarmes corruption, stating in part `Au commencement de février j'avais envoyé a Mr l'administrateur des Marquises une lettre lui demandant de faire une enquete sur les marchandises débarquées par le gendarme de Tavata des navires baleiniers afin de savoir si elles étaient en règle, sinon ce serait une conduite scandaleuse. Tout le monde sait ici, les capitaines baleiniers ayant débarqué un très grand nombre de marchandises, disant que le gendarme avait eu suffisament la patte graissée… Ce que je voulais c'était comme c'est mon droit exiger une enquête d'autant plus que des indigènes ont été condamnés pour avoir reçu au lieu d'argent savon etc. voir même en paiement de prostitution´ (At the beginning of February I had sent a letter to the administrator of the Marquesas asking him to investigate the goods landed by the gendarme of Tavata from the whaling ships in order to find out if they were in order, otherwise it would be scandalous conduct... Everyone knows here, the whaler captains having landed a very large number of goods, saying that the gendarme had been bribed enough… What I wanted was, as it is my right, to demand an investigation, especially since natives were condemned for having received instead of money, soap, etc. see even in payment for prostitution..") further saying that because the administrator did not initiate an investigation and only asked the gendarme to put everything in right order, then Gauguin wrote again to the administrator `…déclarant que l'enquête n'ayant pas été ordonnée et faite je tenais le gendarme pour un parfait honnête homme, and withdraw the denounce. Sur ce dans le courant de février le brigadier un grossier personnage vint a me menacer de beaucoup de choses entre autres de me poursuivre pour diffamation de la gendarmerie..´ ("declaring that the investigation not having been ordered and carried out, I considered the gendarme to be a perfectly honest man, and withdraw the denounce. On this and in the course of February the brigadier, a rude character, came to threaten me with many things and among others to sue me for defamation of the gendarmerie..") Gauguin explains to his lawyer that he has reported about these threatens to the administrator. Before concluding Gauguin states `..cette affaire que vous avez a examiner attentivement pour la défendre quand le moment sera venu… Vous lirez un dossier des plus curieux´ (…this case that you have to examine carefully in order to defend it when time will come... You will read a most curious file") Gauguin has been researching and reading about the law used to condemn him, asking his lawyer `..la loi de juillet 1881 invoquée par le juge et la citation est une loi de presse. Une lettre adressée à un administrateur au gouverneur est elle considérée comme un imprimé ou paroles diffamant publiquement?´ ("the law of July 1881 invoked by the judge and the citation is a press law. Is a letter addressed to an administrator to the governor considered a publicly defamatory statement or speech?") A very late letter by Gauguin with extremely interesting content. Overall age wear, mostly to edges, with multiple small tears and creasing to edges. F to G Léonce Brault (1858-1933) Tahitian Lawyer The Marquesas Islands, known as the "Archipel des Marquises", are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia. At the beginning of 1903, Gauguin was engaged in a campaign to expose the incompetence of the island's gendarmes. But the matter turned against him and he was fined 500 francs and sentenced to three months' imprisonment by the local magistrate on 27 March 1903. Gauguin immediately filed an appeal in Papeete and set about raising the funds to travel to Papeete to hear his appeal. At this time Gauguin was very weak and in great pain and resorted once again to using morphine. He died on the morning of 8 May 1903, only few weeks after writing the present letter.