When Will You Marry?

French artist Paul Gauguin painted this scene during his first stay in Tahiti in 1892. Two Polynesian women occupy the foreground against a landscape of tropical greens, blues, and yellows. The woman in front wears a Western-style dress, while the one behind her dresses traditionally and makes a gesture some scholars interpret as a Buddhist mudra.

The title comes from the Tahitian phrase "Nafea faa ipoipo," which Gauguin inscribed on the canvas. The question suggests a narrative tension between the two figures, perhaps representing the clash between traditional Polynesian culture and European colonial influence. Gauguin had left France seeking what he called a more primitive and authentic life, though his romanticized vision of Tahiti often obscured complex colonial realities.

The painting sold privately in 2015 for approximately $210 million, briefly making it the most expensive artwork ever sold. It now belongs to the Qatar Museums and occasionally travels for special exhibitions.