Wender·Vista
Marquesas Islands
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileFrance
in French Polynesia, twelve hundred miles northeast of Tahiti

Marquesas Islands

— — the islands Gauguin came to die in.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Among the most remote inhabited islands on earth, 1,400 kilometres northeast of Tahiti and 4,800 kilometres from the nearest continent. Twelve volcanic islands, six of them inhabited, with no coral reef to break the swell. Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa hold most of the population. Gauguin is buried in Atuona above the bay he painted from. The wind comes off the open Pacific and the cliffs fall straight into it.

from the studio
Marquesas Islands
— bring it home

Marquesas Islands, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Marquesas Islands

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Marquesas Islands are a volcanic archipelago in French Polynesia, lying roughly 1,400 kilometres northeast of Tahiti at about nine degrees south of the equator. Twelve islands make up the group; six are inhabited, with Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa holding the largest populations. The total land area is about 1,050 square kilometres and the population is roughly 9,300. Unlike most of French Polynesia, the islands have no fringing coral reef, so the cliffs drop straight into the open ocean and the swell runs hard against them.

— the silence

The Marquesas are among the most isolated inhabited places on earth. The nearest continent, South America, is roughly 4,800 kilometres east. There is no industrial shipping lane through the group and no commercial flight path overhead. Paul Gauguin moved to Atuona on Hiva Oa in 1901 and is buried in the Calvary Cemetery above the bay. Herman Melville deserted ship into the Taipivai valley on Nuku Hiva in 1842 and wrote his first book about it. The islands hold what brings people to them.

— informed by Paul Gauguin in Atuona
— the visit

Reaching the Marquesas takes effort. Air Tahiti flies daily from Papeete to Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa; the flight is about three and a half hours each way. The Aranui 5, a mixed cargo and passenger ship, runs a twelve-day round trip from Tahiti several times a year. On the islands, roads are limited and 4x4 transfers are standard. The main cultural event is the Matava'a o te Henua 'Enana, the Marquesan festival held every four years, rotating among the islands.

— informed by Aranui Cruises
— where
France · Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
— position
-9.0000° S · 139.5000° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1400 km SW
Tahiti
main island
140 km SE
Hiva Oa
neighbouring island
N
Marquesas Islands
Tahiti
Hiva Oa
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Marquesas Islands — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

In French Polynesia, about 1,400 kilometres northeast of Tahiti and roughly 4,800 kilometres west of South America. They lie around nine degrees south of the equator in the central South Pacific.

About 9,300 people across six inhabited islands. The Marquesan people are Polynesian, with their own language and two main dialects alongside French. Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa hold the largest communities.

The islands are geologically young and the surrounding ocean is too deep and cool for fringing reefs to form. The cliffs drop straight into the Pacific, which is why the swell is heavy and the beaches few.

Yes. Paul Gauguin moved to Atuona on Hiva Oa in 1901 and died there in 1903. He is buried in the Calvary Cemetery above the village. The Belgian singer Jacques Brel is buried in the same cemetery.

Air Tahiti flies from Papeete to Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa, about three and a half hours each way. The Aranui 5 cargo-passenger ship makes a twelve-day round trip from Tahiti several times a year.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers with ties to French Polynesia or to the Polynesian diaspora. The piece carries the colour of the open ocean cliffs. A Small or Medium with a studio note travels well.

The deep ocean blues and basalt greens sit well in Coastal-modern, Tropical-modern, and warm Minimalist interiors. The piece pairs with rattan, raw teak, and lime-washed walls.

A single Large covers most sofas. A four-tile Mural reads as one painting from across the room. A nine-tile Mural is the wall piece for a long entry or dining wall.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for those rooms, since both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splashes. The glossy finish is reserved for framed wall pieces in dry rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth with water, nothing more. No solvents, no abrasive cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and will not lift with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista painting is made in-house by Reid Wender and the studio. We do not license outside artwork and we do not reproduce other artists' work.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.