Paul Gauguin left stockbroking after the 1882 Paris Bourse crash and turned to painting full-time.
Gauguin had built a prosperous career in finance after joining the Paris Bourse in the early 1870s. He painted in his spare time and collected works by Impressionists, including artists such as Camille Pissarro. The market crash damaged both his income and the art market, making his former double life increasingly difficult to sustain.
The decision did not bring immediate success. Gauguin struggled financially, moved with his family to Copenhagen for a time, and eventually returned to France to pursue painting more seriously. His early work was connected to Impressionism, but he later developed a more symbolic, synthetist style characterized by simplified forms and strong areas of color.
A common mix-up is assuming that Gauguin was always a professional artist. His financial background was an important part of his biography, and the 1882 crash was the turning point that pushed him toward art. He later became famous for paintings made in Brittany and Tahiti, including works associated with Post-Impressionism.