Where can I see Volpini Suite: Breton Women by a Gate (Bretonnes à la Barrière)?

Volpini Suite: Breton Women by a Gate (Bretonnes à la Barrière) is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Volpini Suite: Breton Women by a Gate (Bretonnes à la Barrière)?

Volpini Suite: Breton Women by a Gate (Bretonnes à la Barrière) is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Volpini Suite: Breton Women by a Gate (Bretonnes à la Barrière)

Volpini Suite: Breton Women by a Gate (Bretonnes à la Barrière) is a print by the Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin. It dates from 1889 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1889, this woodcut belongs to Paul Gauguin’s Volpini Suite, produced while he was residing in the artist colony of Pont‑Aven in Brittany. The image presents a small group of Breton women gathered beside a wooden gate, set against a modest rural backdrop that includes a stone wall and a few trees.

Subject & Meaning

The figures wear the traditional long skirts and headscarves characteristic of Breton dress, suggesting a scene of everyday social interaction. Gauguin’s choice of provincial subjects reflects his fascination with what he perceived as the unspoiled authenticity of rural French culture.

Technique & Style

Executed as a woodcut, the work employs the flat, simplified forms and stark color contrasts associated with Gauguin’s turn toward Synthetism. The carving emphasizes bold outlines and a limited tonal range, reinforcing the graphic quality of the composition.

History & Provenance

The print was part of the Volpini exhibition held in 1889, organized by Gauguin and his associates as an alternative to the official Salon. It circulated among collectors of avant‑garde prints and later entered museum collections devoted to Post‑Impressionist works.

Context

During this period Gauguin was exploring printmaking alongside painting, seeking new ways to convey symbolic content and to reach a broader audience. The Breton setting aligns with contemporary artists’ interest in regional folk traditions as a counterpoint to urban modernity.

Artist & collection

Artist

Paul Gauguin

Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; French: ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements.