He was nicknamed the "painter of happiness": his works quickly conquered the art world, and his influence and style are still appreciated today. Criticized by Picasso, loved by Monet, Pierre Bonnard was one of the great artists of his time. Author of a large number of paintings, drawings, lithographs, engravings and a few sculptures, Bonnard left behind a rich collection scattered in various museums and private collections.
Born in 1867, and dying in 1947, Pierre Bonnard was somewhere between modernism and impressionism, an artist who straddled periods and movements, preferring to forge his own path out of his love of painting and color.
He was one of the founders of the Nabi movement, an avant-garde post-impressionist group inspired by Paul Gauguin. Pierre Bonnard had a fascination for light and color, and spent his life as an artist exploring their thousand and one nuances. Abandoning the fashions of abstraction, fauvism and surrealism, he preferred to study landscapes, still lifes, female nudes and portraits. Pierre Bonnard continues to inspire artists of the 21st century: he is at the heart of a historical biopic directed by Martin Provost, released in cinemas on January 10, 2024.
Are you fascinated by this painter? Would you like to find out more about him, discover his works, or simply broaden your knowledge of art? Then head for the museums of Paris: here are the art venues where you can admire works by Pierre Bonnard.
This artistic journey begins at the Musée d'Orsay, which boasts a vast number of drawings, paintings, studies and photographs... The Bonnard works currently on display in this museum are on the middle level, in rooms 69 to 71.
We then head for the Musée du Louvre, and in particular the Department of Graphic Arts and the Cabinet des Dessins, which holds a number of Bonnard's paintings, including Méditerranée, Fruits: harmonie claire, Femme portant une théière...
Let's continue this cultural stroll at the Centre Pompidou and the Petit Palais, two museums that own several paintings by Bonnard, including such famous works as Nu devant la cheminée, Marthe à sa toilette and Ambroise Vollard au foulard rouge.
Finally, take advantage of the Journées du Patrimoine, and the opening of theHôtel de Matignon, to admire Reine Natanson and Marthe Bonnard au corsage rouge, a painting by Bonnard exhibited in the Prime Minister's dining room.
