After the tribute to Dalí, Rome returns to celebrate an absolute protagonist of modern art. From Sept. 6, 2025 to Jan. 25, 2026, the Historical Infantry Museum will host “Gauguin. The Diary of Noa Noa and Other Adventures,” one of the most anticipated exhibitions of the fall season.
The exhibition brings Paul Gauguin‘s visionary universe back to the capital, with an installation that combines the fascination of travel to Polynesia with European Symbolist language.
More than 165 works-including drawings, woodcuts, lithographs and sculptures-tell the artistic and spiritual evolution of the French master, in an immersive journey that restores the full force of his myth.
Gauguin exhibition in Rome 2025: a unique event
This is not just a retrospective: the Rome exhibition is the first to bring together the famous Diary of Noa Noa, written by Gauguin in 1893 after his trip to Tahiti, with a wide selection of his graphic production.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see up close the original engravings and drawings that accompany the pages of the diary, direct evidence of the most intense and inspired period of the French painter’s life.
Making the exhibition even more valuable are some extremely rare sculptures-such as the Tahitian Woman’s Mask “Tehura” and Idole à la coquille-and a selection of unpublished lithographs and woodcuts printed by his friend Daniel de Monfreid.
The exhibition also includes references to the Breton and Tahitian periods, showing how Gauguin’s language evolved from syntheticism – made up of pure colors and marked lines – to the mystical symbolism of his later works.
Dialogue with Van Gogh and the Nabis
A section of the exhibition explores Gauguin’s connection with other artists of his time, including Vincent Van Gogh, whose twelve color lithographs are on display.
There is no shortage of references to the Nabis group-Maurice Denis, Paul Sérusier, Émile Bernard-who shared with him the vision of an art capable of transcending visible reality to touch inwardness.
An interweaving of friendships, influences and rivalries that marked the birth of modern European art.
Gauguin’s journey between Brittany and Polynesia.
The heart of the exhibition’s journey in Rome is devoted to Noa Noa’s Diary, written during his first Tahitian sojourn. In those pages, Gauguin interweaves myth and autobiography, religion and sensuality, revealing his idea of art as an instrument of freedom.
The graphic works on display take visitors on a journey between the landscapes of Brittany, where it all began, and the islands of Polynesia, which inspired the post-impressionist painter’s masterpieces.
The exhibition “Gauguin. The Diary of Noa Noa and Other Adventures” at the Historical Infantry Museum is a visual tale of escape and soul-searching, enriched by a photographic section dedicated to the “Islands of Tahiti, the Primordial Soul,” created by Tahiti Tourisme and Leica Camera Italia.
The Historical Infantry Museum: a new hub for art in Rome
Located at Piazza di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme 9, a few steps from the basilica of the same name, the Museo Storico della Fanteria is establishing itself as one of the most interesting new cultural venues in Rome.
After hosting the exhibition dedicated to Dalí, it now hosts the exhibition dedicated to Gauguin, curated by Vincenzo Sanfo and sponsored by the Lazio Region and the Municipality of Rome.
The sober and scenic layout accompanies visitors in a dialogue between art and history, ancient and modern – a contrast perfectly consistent with the vision of the French artist.
Hours, tickets and practical information
📅 Dates: Sept. 6, 2025 to Jan. 25, 2026
📍 Where: Historical Museum of the Infantry, Piazza di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme 9, Rome
🕒 Hours:
- Monday-Friday: 9:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday: 9:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
(last entrance 30 minutes before closing)
🎟️ Tickets: full 15€ weekend and holidays, 13€ weekdays, 17€ open with skip-the-line admission, reduced 10€ – available on TicketOne
🌐 Official website: navigaresrl.com
📧 Email: prenotazioni@navigaresrl.com