Budapest Opens a Gauguin Show Built Around a Painting of Friendship and Rivalry

The Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, Hungary, has opened a large exhibition on Paul Gauguin, the French painter best known for his bold colours and scenes of Tahiti. The show, titled "Bonjour Monsieur Gauguin: The Circles of Post-Impressionists and Symbolists," opened in early November and runs until 28 February 2027.

The museum calls it Hungary's first large-scale exhibition on Gauguin. Museum of Fine Arts Budapest It presents his work in date order, so visitors can follow how his style changed over time. The title is also the name of one of his paintings, and that painting has a story behind it.

The story starts in Arles, a town in southern France. In October 1888, Gauguin arrived there to stay with Vincent van Gogh. The two men lived together in the Yellow House and shared a small room as a studio. They worked side by side, but the arrangement did not last long.

In mid-December 1888, Gauguin suggested a day out. He proposed a trip to Montpellier, a city about 70 km west of Arles, to visit the Musée Fabre, a museum with a strong collection of French art. The Art Newspaper The pair took the train, a trip of around four hours each way.

At the museum, Gauguin saw a work by Gustave Courbet, the French realist painter. Courbet's "Bonjour Monsieur Courbet," painted in 1854, still hangs in the Musée Fabre. It shows the painter greeting a wealthy patron, who is at the same time a figure of quiet respect for the artist.

A year later, in late 1889, Gauguin painted his own version in Le Pouldu, a fishing village on the coast of Brittany in north-western France. He called it "Bonjour Monsieur Gauguin," answering the Courbet work and giving the new exhibition its name. The painting's title, and the Montpellier visit behind it, are where the Budapest show begins its story.

For visitors in Budapest, the exhibition offers a chance to trace that path from the early years through to the later work. The show is best approached as a single, dated walk through one painter's career.

The exhibition is open until the end of February 2027. Anyone planning a visit should check the museum's website for opening hours and ticket details before going.