Paul Gauguin's Sesquicentennial on Hiva 'Oa, Marquesas-June 7, 1998

It was a colorful moment for the Father of Color. The 150111 anniver ary of the birth of French post-impressionist Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) saw the French government paying eloquent tribute to the famous painter. France flew 65 of Gauguin's European descendants, most of them from Denmark (Gauguin's abandoned wife Mette was Danish), to Pape'ete, Tahiti. Then it wined and dined them in luxury aboard the cruise ship Paul Gauguin during the 1,400-kilometer voyage northeast to Hiva 'Oa's main settlement of Atu 'Ona on the Marquesa Islands, Gauguin's last resting place. They were brought to celebrate the painter's sesquicentennial on June 7, 1998. The passengers and crew of the inter-island freighter Aranui feted too, along with assorted Marquesan and governmental guests of honor. All Hiva 'Oa delighted in the rare event.