Emile Gauguin (1874–1955), the artist's son

Emile Gauguin (1874–1955), the artist's son

Paul Gauguin

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This portrait of Gauguin's young son Emile was made at the outset of the artist's career, under the tutelage of his landlord, the academic sculptor Jules-Ernest Bouillot. It was the only sculpture included in the fourth Impressionist exhibition in 1879, where it was praised as "a charming little [piece]...which attracted the interest of the public." Gauguin's emerging talent is evident in the handling of Emile's chubby cheeks and delicate curls. However, after making this likeness Gauguin gave up working in marble for more informal, and less expensive, materials, such as clay and wood.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Emile Gauguin (1874–1955), the artist's sonEmile Gauguin (1874–1955), the artist's sonEmile Gauguin (1874–1955), the artist's sonEmile Gauguin (1874–1955), the artist's sonEmile Gauguin (1874–1955), the artist's son

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.