Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin

Sue Prideaux offers a richly detailed, unflinching biography of Paul Gauguin, examining both his artistic brilliance and his deeply troubling personal life. Prideaux does not shy away from the contradictions and moral failings of her subject, instead placing his work within a complex web of colonialism, exploitation, and myth-making. Her writing is stylish and incisive, bringing both the man and his artistic world vividly to life. This is biography at its most challenging and rewarding, inviting readers to confront the uneasy relationship between art and the artist.