Paul Gauguin, French, 1848–1903; “Reclining Tahitian Women”, 1894; oil on canvas; 23 5/8 × 38 9/16 inches; Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen EXH36.8

I wanted to let readers know there’s less than a week left to see a really wonderful exhibition of the work of Paul Gauguin at the Saint Louis Art Museum, closing on September 15th. Gauguin was working at the same time as much of the historic architecture of St. Louis was being built in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries, and it’s interesting to think about the correlations between colonialism and the expanding trade connections. Did Gauguin see any Lemp beer when he was traveling in the South Pacific? We know the Lemp Brewery was shipping the beer around the world at the time to all sorts of far off places, and I wonder if any ended up in the French colony of Tahiti. Regardless, this is your last chance to see some really spectacular examples of the Post-Impressionist’s work without having to travel to Denmark, where they are normally on display. The Art Museum curatorial staff has done an excellent job of paring up works in the permanent collection with Gauguin’s works, showing the former’s’ influence on the latter.