Not currently on view
In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · as of August 2026
FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG
Gauguin discovered an exotic, primitive culture in Brittany, a rugged region on the Atlantic coast in northwestern France. He then sought to translate into expressive forms the picturesque costumes, customs, and special spirituality of the peasants. The unusual point of view, the stylization of the frothing water, and the cropped cow at the lower left all betray the influence of Japanese woodblock prints, which became popular in France from the early 1860s. The twelve lithographs in this set, printed from zinc plates rather than stones, were Gauguin's first attempts at printmaking. To heighten the decorative effect, the lithographs were printed onto large sheets of bright yellow paper.
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Paul Gauguin — Washerwomen, from the Volpini Suite: Dessins 
Paul Gauguin — Bretonnes à la Barrière, from the Volpini Sui
Émile Bernard (French, 1868–1941) — Les Bretonneries: Breton
Émile Bernard (French, 1868–1941) — Les Bretonneries: Title 
Émile Bernard (French, 1868–1941) — Les Bretonneries
Édouard Vuillard (French, 1868–1940) — Beyond Human Forces (
Paul Gauguin — The Universe Is Created
Paul Gauguin — Bathers in Brittany, from the Volpini Suite: 
Émile Bernard (French, 1868–1941) — Les Bretonneries: The Re
Paul Gauguin — The Universe Is Created
Alphonse Legros (French, 1837–1911) — In the Woods
Max Klinger (German, 1857–1920) — Vom Tode I (Opus II, 1889)
