Keanu Reeves to Give Talk on Gauguin—Say What?

Keanu Reeves. Still from The Matrix.

That big fat question mark just popped into our heads too.

Keanu Reeves, the mega movie star best known for his role as Neo in sci-fi classic The Matrix, will give a talk at Switzerland’s Fondation Beyeler on Paul Gauguin, reports the Observer. Although his acting may be one-dimensional, his interests certainly are not. Reeves is also a musician (see bands Dogstar and Becky), a writer (Ode to Happiness), a director (Man of Tai Chi), motorcycle maker (Arch Motorcycle Co.) and, most important of all, a meme.

The Fondation Beyeler, a private museum in Reihen, Switzerland, just outside of Basel, houses the collection of Ernst Beyeler, a top dealer of modern art who died in 2010, and his wife Hildy. The collection includes masterworks by van Gogh, Monet, and Giacometti.

Reeves is scheduled to give a talk on Noa Noa, Gauguin’s travel journal from his time in Tahiti. The foundation’s website goes on to explain:

In addition to his painting, multi-faceted artist Paul Gauguin wrote a number of texts that offer insights into his life and work. Gauguin’s remarkable book Noa Noa is of particular significance in this respect and offers a poetic blend of autobiography and fictional narrative. The internationally acclaimed actor KEANU REEVES will be reading from Gauguin’s book and talking about his experiences as a man with Polynesian ancestry.

The February 8 event is already sold out, which is unfortunate because we definitely would have shelled out the change for this one.


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