Pierre Bonnard

Pierre Bonnard

French symbolist painter Pierre Bonnard was considered one of the best colorists of modern art. Inspired by the radical young disciples of Gauguin, his exuberant, domestic interiors, pastoral landscapes, portraits and still life display his extraordinary use of color. He became one of the founders of the Nabis.

Pierre Bonnard was born October 3, 1867 in Fontenay-aux-Roses. Son of a high-ranking official in the French War Ministry, he abided by his parents wishes and enrolled at the University of Paris to study law. That same year, Bonnard signed up for evening classes at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he made friends with Paul Sérusier, Mauris Denis, Henri Ibels, and Paul Ranson. They shared similar views about art and soon formed a society known as Les Nabis (Hebrew for 'prophets'), which was the onset of the symbolist movement. This group of artists believed that color was independent from objective reality. In accordance with Gauguin's dictum, their paintings were not an imitation of visible reality, but rather an arrangement of colors and shapes on a flat surface.

Bonnard continued his studies in law and trained as a civil servant in the Paris Registry Office in 1888. Around this time, he entered into the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he met Ker-Xavier Roussel and Edouard Vuillard, who both joined the Nabis. In 1889, Pierre Bonnard won a competition to design a poster advertising French champagne. Bonnard had his first show at the Galerie Durand-Ruel in 1896. Subsequently, he gave up his future in Law and determinedly embarked on a career as a professional painter. He began to exhibit at the Salon des Indépendants.

The first exhibition of the Nabis was held at the Gallery of Le Barc de Boutteville, where the artist, along with other members, displayed their works. Pierre Bonnard explored various artistic mediums, and soon began to design furniture and textile patterns, and to paint screens and stage sets.

Often referred to as an intimist, Bonnard experimented with the play of sunlight in domestic interiors, giving his work an impressionist tone. He preferred painting from memory because he felt that in doing so, he would not be tempted to portray his subjects in a naturalistic way His favorite subject was his wife Marthe de Méligny, whom he had met in 1893. Some of his best works from this period included ‘Indolence’ (1899) and ‘Man and Woman’ (1900).

By the early 1900s, the Nabis had parted ways and Bonnard spent much time in the countryside between Paris and Normandy painting landscapes. In 1903, he participated in founding the Salon d’Automne. Beginning in 1906, Bonnard held annual one-man exhibitions. He signed an exclusive contract with The Bernheim-Jeune art-dealing firm to exhibit his works. The artist’s best known paintings from this period are the panels commissioned by Misia Godebska in Paris (1910) and the triptych ‘The Mediterranean’ for Ivan Morozov’s residence in Moscow (1911). In 1918, after his travels through Europe and North Africa, he became honorary president of a society of young French painters.

In 1926, Pierre Bonnard visited the United States for the first time, and exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago. Some critics called his works of the 1920s and 1930s "meditative masterpieces".

Bonnard was given the honor of decorating the French pavilion at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1937. Although his work was received with much enthusiasm by the public, his personal dissatisfaction prompted a return to his youthful exuberant art style, displaying dazzling light and color on canvas. He produced many memorable works during his late years.

During the Second World War, Bonnard lived in Le Bosquet and became a recluse after his wife’s death in 1942. He was quoted as saying "One does not always sing out of happiness." And so, he labored on completing his last painting entitled ‘The Almond Tree in Flower’, a week before his death in Le Cannet on Janurary 23, 1947.

Some of Pierre Bonnard's most notable paintings include Morning in Paris, View of Le Cannet, The Seine, Ice Palace, Nude Washing Feet in Bathtub, Misia and The Breakfast Room.

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Momisa 1915

Momisa 1915

$135.41$81.2440% off
Cagnes Landscape 1916

Cagnes Landscape 1916

$127.76$76.6540% off
Interior With Flowers 1919
Evening In Paris 1911

Evening In Paris 1911

$98.69$59.2140% off
A Plate Of Figs 1921

A Plate Of Figs 1921

$119.34$71.6040% off
Gardens Of Tuileries 1912

Gardens Of Tuileries 1912

$119.34$71.6040% off
The Garden Steps 1940

The Garden Steps 1940

$133.88$80.3340% off
Girl With Parrot 1910

Girl With Parrot 1910

$130.82$78.4940% off
The Vase Of Flowers 1945

The Vase Of Flowers 1945

$132.35$79.4140% off
Nude And Fur Hat 1911

Nude And Fur Hat 1911

$77.27$46.3640% off
Pot Of Flowers

Pot Of Flowers

$127.76$76.6540% off
The Seine 1930

The Seine 1930

$110.93$66.5640% off
Morning In Paris 1911

Morning In Paris 1911

$98.69$59.2140% off
Garden At Midday 1943

Garden At Midday 1943

$127.76$76.6540% off
Self Portrait 1942

Self Portrait 1942

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Tub In A Mirror 1915

Tub In A Mirror 1915

$139.23$83.5440% off
Child And Cats

Child And Cats

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The Toilet 1908

The Toilet 1908

$137.70$82.6240% off
Pastoral Symphony

Pastoral Symphony

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Carriage Horse

Carriage Horse

$110.16$66.1040% off
Natanson Girls 1910

Natanson Girls 1910

$135.41$81.2440% off
The Circus Horse

The Circus Horse

$126.99$76.1940% off
The Window 1925

The Window 1925

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The Grey Nude 1929

The Grey Nude 1929

$81.86$49.1140% off
Young Woman Near Lamp

Young Woman Near Lamp

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Pots 1930

Pots 1930

$152.24$91.3440% off
Not_Detected_221940

Not_Detected_221940

$105.57$63.3440% off
The Terrace At Vernon 1939
Eiffel Tower And The Seine
Garden With Red Tree 1909

Garden With Red Tree 1909

$127.76$76.6540% off
Night Landscape 1912

Night Landscape 1912

$119.34$71.6040% off
Earthly Paradise 1920

Earthly Paradise 1920

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Misia 1908

Misia 1908

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Fish In A Dish 1921

Fish In A Dish 1921

$149.18$89.5140% off
Not_Detected_221937

Not_Detected_221937

$108.63$65.1840% off
Landscape Sunset 1912

Landscape Sunset 1912

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Cow Behind A Tree

Cow Behind A Tree

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Madame Claude Anet 1910

Madame Claude Anet 1910

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The Garden

The Garden

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Sombre Nude 1941

Sombre Nude 1941

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The Cat

The Cat

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Dauphine Landscape

Dauphine Landscape

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The Beach

The Beach

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The Organ Grinder

The Organ Grinder

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Ice Palace

Ice Palace

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The Lodge 1908

The Lodge 1908

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Not_Detected_221950

Not_Detected_221950

$117.05$70.2340% off
Poppies

Poppies

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