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Bonnard

Bonnard

Prestel Publishing

Regular price $125.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $125.00 USD
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Celebrated as a master of color and emotional nuance, Pierre Bonnard emerges anew in this sweeping, beautifully illustrated volume by a leading international scholar. One of the most innovative figures of early twentieth-century art, Bonnard helped shape the course of modern painting with a vision rooted in subjective perception and poetic realism.

Beginning with his early involvement in the avant-garde Nabis group, the book traces Bonnard’s radical departure from academic convention—embracing Symbolism, Japanese aesthetics, and a flattened, decorative approach to space and narrative. With rich reproductions and thoughtful analysis, it delves into the artist’s enduring themes: the intimacy of domestic life, the shifting light of Normandy and the Côte d’Azur, and the tension between solitude and sensuality. The volume also considers Bonnard’s methods—his sketchbooks, color studies, and fragmentary compositions—as well as the collectors who championed his work. Both scholarly and visually immersive, this definitive monograph affirms Bonnard’s lasting influence and the emotional resonance of his art.

Product Details

  • Product Type: Monograph, Hardcover, with slipcase
  • 416 pages, with 349 illustrations
  • Published in 2024
  • Shipping Dimensions: 13.6 × 11.4 × 1.9 inches  (34.5 × 29.0 × 4.8 cm)
  • Shipping Weight: 8.7 lb (139.2 oz; 3946 g)
  • SKU: SKU: SKU010014305
  • ISBN: 9783791377452

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Pierre Bonnard (from an 1899 photograph)

About the Artist

Pierre Bonnard

Pierre Bonnard (1867 – 1947) was a French painter, illustrator, and printmaker celebrated for his radiant color harmonies and intimate, often introspective scenes of domestic life. A founding member of the Post-Impressionist group Les Nabis, Bonnard helped usher in a new decorative sensibility in modern art, influenced by Symbolism, Japanese woodblock prints, and the flat planes of color favored by Paul Gauguin.

Rather than adhering to strict realism, Bonnard used memory and imagination to transform ordinary moments into richly textured, dreamlike compositions. His work frequently depicted his longtime companion Marthe de Méligny in bathtubs, gardens, or interiors flooded with filtered light—spaces that blur the line between observation and emotional reverie. Though less radical than some of his Modernist peers, Bonnard’s nuanced use of color and composition placed him at the forefront of 20th-century painting.

Pierre Bonnard in the Chrysler Museum

About the Author

Isabelle Cahn

Isabelle Cahn is a curator at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, specializing in the Nabis and Post-Impressionism.

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