Perspectives on Gauguin from Te Fare Iamanaha - Musée de Tahiti et des Îles
Gauguin’s World: Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao
Permanent display at Te Fare Iamanaha - Musée de Tahiti et des Îles. Image supplied by the museum.
Free, bookings essential.
Duration: 60 minutes including Q&A
Join Dr Hinanui Cauchois and Dr Marine Vallée from Te Fare Iamanaha - Musée de Tahiti et des Îles as they discuss the history of the Gauguin Museum and its connections with Tahitian and Marquesan cultures.
Dr Vallée will share insights into Tahitian material culture held within the collection of the Gauguin Museum and Te Fare Iamanaha - Musée de Tahiti et des Îles on loan to the National Gallery. She will discuss the representation of these objects in Gauguin's works, their use within their communities of origin, their provenance histories in museum collections, and their ongoing resonances.
Dr Cauchois will share an archaeological perspective on the links between the Tahitian and Marquesan cultures depicted on Gauguin’s paintings, drawing on the strengths of the collection held by Te Fare Iamanaha - Musée de Tahiti et des Îles.
This program is Auslan interpreted for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Please contact access@nga.gov.au or +61 2 6240 6632 if you require further information or assistance.
Gauguin’s World: Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao is on display at the National Gallery from 29 Jun – 7 Oct 2024.
SaVĀge K’lub is on display at the National Gallery from 29 Jun – 7 Oct 2024.
Ask a Question
speakers
Image courtesy of Dr Hinanui Cauchois.
Dr Hinanui Cauchois
Dr Hinanui Cauchois is Director of Te Fare Iamanaha - Musée de Tahiti et des Îles. She holds a PhD in archaeology from the University of Hawaii.
Hinanui has carried out numerous archaeological missions in French Polynesia, under the aegis of the Department of Culture and Heritage. She has served as technical advisor to two different ministries, in charge of archaeological heritage and more recently higher education. In this capacity, Hinanui helped launch the UNESCO World Heritage listing applications for the Taputapuātea marae in Rai’ātea and the Marquesas Islands in 2009.
Image courtesy of Dr Marine Vallée
Dr Marine Vallée
Dr Marine Vallée is Assistant Curator at the Te Fare Iamanaha - Musée de Tahiti et des Îles. She holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Auckland.
Trained in heritage and contemporary Pacific arts (Ecole du Louvre, University of Auckland – Waipapa Taumata Rau) Marine's research interests include history of collecting and curatorial practices, objects provenance and their resonance in contemporary visual arts and cultures. She recently was the lead curator for the exhibition “Hōrue: Waves from the past, waves from the present – Hōrue : 'Are nō mua ra, 'Are nō teie nei”, reflecting on the history and contemporary approaches of surfing in French Polynesia.
about the museum
Te Fare Iamanaha - Musée de Tahiti et des Îles
Reopened in 2023 with a completely rebuilt and refurbished permanent display, Te Fare Iamanaha - Musée de Tahiti et des Îles stands as the successor of the Papeete Museum, opened in 1917. After several moves throughout the capital city of French Polynesia, the Papeete Museum transformed in 1974 into Te Fare Iamanaha, a new independent institution located 15km further on the West Coast of Tahiti, in Puna’auia.
Opened partially in 1977 and fully in 1979, the museum welcomed visitors for over 40 years with a display with different rooms dedicated to the natural environment and settlement processes; as well as implements, ornaments, and themes linked to material culture and the everyday life of Polynesians. A third room tackled cultural themes associated with sacredness, prestige, social hierarchy, and worship, before the display turned to the evangelization and colonial processes, social and economic evolutions.
The current display features around 520 exhibited objects in its 1400 m2 and introduces the specificities of each of the five archipelagos of French Polynesia. Video-projections and tactile digital devices allows to complement the narratives of a rich and varied cultural heritage.
Gauguin Museum
Closed in 2013, the Gauguin Museum was inaugurated in 1965 in Papeari, Tahiti, on the site estate of the Botanical Garden Motu Ovini also known as Harrisson W. Smith Botanical Garden.
Initially conceived as a Memorial centre to the artist, it came to attract a wide international touristic audience while developing progressive curatorial ambitions following important fine arts donations.
Te Fare Iamanaha – Musée de Tahiti et des Îles has been ensuring the guardianship of its collections since its closing.
