6. Paul Gauguin Spirit of the Dead Watching
Erotic and exotic! Paul Gauguin, renowned for his paintings of exotic idylls and Polynesian beauties, was a sadist who battered his wife, exploited his friends and lied to the world about the erotic Eden he claimed to have discovered on the South Sea island of Tahiti. This is not to say that he didn’t paint an exquisite and sensual diary of his exploits that remains a lasting legacy of his artistic output.