The man is not the art? We need to talk about Gauguin

But Paul Gauguin was also a colonialist and a misogynist, who fathered children with underage girls while his wife and children languished on the other side of the world, and he eventually died of syphilis.

So - can we separate the man from the art? And should we?

If the flurry of activity at the National Gallery of Australia is any indication, there's more than enough room to ask questions about Gauguin, while still admiring his luminous - and very famous artworks.

Many of them are now hanging on the walls of the temporary exhibition space, as the gallery prepares to stage its next blockbuster, Gauguin's World, set to open next week.

And many are yet to arrive; the logistics of a show involving 65 donors from collections all over the world have been something to behold.

Curator Henri Loyrette, formerly the director of the Musee D'Orsay and the Louvre in Paris, said it was a rare opportunity to see the artist's thought processes as themes emerged through his work.

But looking at some of his most famous paintings, of young Tahitian girls, barely clothed, placed suggestively in their idyllic island setting, it's hard not to feel uncomfortable, or at least amazed they form such an integral part of the Impressionist canon.

Knowing what we now know - or are more ready to acknowledge - about the man who created them, it's clear he would be cancelled in today's hyper-tense - and enlightened - culture.

But, as gallery director Nick Mitzevich points out, Gauguin was hardly unique in the time he was working in.

"Artists that have problematic individual histories, as are actually ubiquitous throughout history," he said.

"Our job today is about widening the discussion about the works rather than narrowing them.

"And today, we have more information.

"The fact that information is so easily accessible, and shareable, means that we know lots more about every subject.

"That puts the responsibility on a public collection like ours, to have a wider discussion.

"It actually makes the exploration of art history fascinating, because we evolve history all the time, and we add new things.

"And so this exhibition, in partnership with the Pacific project that we're working on, and also the displays of our own permanent collection, just gives people a more rounded view of things."

The catalogue will also feature essays by Tahitian writers, and the gallery is producing a podcast series, The Gauguin Dilemma.

"This is a whole series of people's views on Gauguin in Tahiti, and some people are in great support of him, and others find him to be a problematic figure," he said.

"What we've done is lay those ideas out for people to think about. We must be an institution that encourages thinking rather than closes it down."