Gauguin and Brell

It seems Hiva Oa, small island that it is, has had its share of famous residents. Both Paul Gauguin and Jacques Brell called this island home for the final days of their lives and are buried within a stones throw of each other in the cemetery.

Jacques died of cancer at the age of 48 and left a very good impression with the locals. After sailing here he decided to stay and traded in his sail boat for a small plane. He often used it to deliver mail or to take people for medical treatments to Tahiti becoming a much loved citizen of the community. On the other hand, Gauguin was in the third stage of syphilis and in his later years got his 14 year old house maid pregnant.

We went to the museum where we saw copies of many of Gauguin's paintings. Interesting, but I didn't see anything that I would spend my hard earned money on. He is your typical narcissistic artist with self portraits making up a good part of his collection. The museum also had an exhibit on the life of Jacques Brell displayed around his beloved airplane JoJo. I know very little about Jacques but he comes across as an incredibly passionate individual dedicated to the rights of the working class criticizing politics and the hypocrisy of wealth in his songs.