a woodblock drawing of a woman, nude, curled up on her side, viewed from her back. A dark figure is visible on the left.
Paul Gauguin, Manao Tupapau (The Spirit of the Dead Watches), 1893-94, The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Gallery, London (The Samuel ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Trust)

A new exhibition featuring a display of rare original woodblock prints by Paul Gauguin from our collection, opens at Braintree Museum on Saturday 1 February.

ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½s: Origins, Innovations & Family, is part of our National Partners project and offers a unique glimpse into the early work of this influential artist who was championed by our founder Samuel ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½.

Whilst The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Gallery is closed for a major transformation project, we have established exhibition and museum partnerships like this, both nationally and internationally, to provide unique opportunities for more audiences to engage with our collection.

ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½s: Origins, Innovations & Family will also explore the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ family’s extraordinary history – revealing the story of their pioneering development of silks created in their first factory in the heart of Braintree, Essex; the influence of the family and their ongoing local and global legacy.

Visitors can explore artefacts that illuminate the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ family’s history – including a suffragette poster designed by Catherine ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, from the Women’s Library, London; the remains from Augustin ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½â€™s Arctic flag from the Scott Polar Institute, alongside loans from the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Family’s Private Collection.

Katherine Dunleavy, Regional Programme Coordinator at The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, commented: ‘We’re delighted to have collaborated with Braintree Museum on this exciting exhibition that sheds new light on the lives of the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ family and those that worked for them in their textile mills. We are particularly pleased to contribute four prints by Gauguin that were bought by Samuel ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ so that they can be appreciated by new and diverse audiences, as well as showing the importance of Samuel’s art collecting.’

Braintree Museum will be hosting a range of events to coincide with the exhibition including talks and a walking tour.

1 February – 30 May

Citations