Gauguin is the leading Post-Impressionist painter whose highly original vision has profoundly influenced modern art. As a child, his family travelled to Peru where he was inspired by the colourful and exotic culture and traditions. Back in France he trained as a stockbroker but in 1883 he gave up his trade to devote himself to painting full-time. He famously painted alongside Van Gogh in Provence and it was as a result of an argument between them that Van Gogh cut off his own ear. Gauguin then lived in Tahiti for several years and died on the remote Marchese Islands.