Gauguin was a violent paedophile who abandoned his wife and five children in Europe, moving to French Polynesia and marrying three native teenage girls, the youngest 13 years old.

"In today’s context, Gauguin’s interactions in Polynesia in the later part of the 19th Century would not be accepted and are recognised as such," the NGA said in a statement.

The acquisition is a coup for the gallery, according to Sasha Grishin from the Australian National University.

"It's a good thing to have - whether something else could have been acquired, well that's always the question," he told AAP.

Whether the gallery should have held the Gauguin exhibition, or has acknowledged Gauguin's past sufficiently in the show, are separate questions to its decision to buy the painting, Professor Grishin said.

"Whether when you enter the exhibition, you should have a little plaque up saying this person is a really, really nasty piece of work - perhaps that should be brought to the forefront," he said.

The artwork is certainly an important acquisition, agreed National Gallery Director Dr Nick Mitzevich.

"It captures a key point in art history – the moment when the artist emerged as an intensely original master, taking Impressionist colour schemes and transcending them to be bolder and more daring," he said.

The painting's use of colour is ahead of its time, and foreshadows the artist's future innovations as well as broader developments in 20th century art.

The purchase was funded by the National Gallery of Australia Foundation and will go on display as part of the permanent collection in late 2024.

Gauguin’s World: Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao is at the NGA in Canberra until October 7.

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