French painter, graphic artist, illustrator and decorator. "Member of the Nabi group, intimist.
Pierre Bonnard was born on 3 October 1867 in Fontainebleau-sur-Roses, near Paris. His father was an official in the Ministry of War. In 1887, Bonnard began to study law in Paris and to take art classes at the Académie Julian. In 1888, he enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he met his long-time friends, the artists K.K. Roussel and E. Viujar. Mr Bonnard did not complete his law studies, and, forced by his father to work briefly in the government, joined the Parisian group of artists called the Nabis in 1889, which was organised by Paul Seriouzier and included Maurice Deni, Paul Ranson, K. K. Roussel, Edouard Viujar, and others. The artists were influenced by Gauguin and the Japanese estamps, used bright colours, expressive lines and worked in a variety of artistic forms.
In 1890, Bonar worked in the same studio as E. Viujar and M. Deni, and began to create colour lithographs. After his military service, Bonnard's champagne advertising poster was a success, and his father no longer prevented him from devoting himself to art. In 1891, Bonnard's work was exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants and at the exhibition of the Nabi group at the Le Barc de Boutteville gallery. Bonnard exhibited with the Nabi group until 1900, when it disbanded. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec became Bonnard's friend. In 1893, Bonnard met Maria Boursin (Martha), a long-time friend, whom he married in 1925. He created posters and illustrations for the newspaper La Revue blanche and in 1895 created a stained glass window for the American artist Louis Comfort Tiffany. In 1896, Bonnard had his first solo exhibition at the Diuran-Ruel Gallery in Paris. In 1897, Ambroise Vollard published the first album of Bonnard's lithographs. In 1903, the artist's works were exhibited at the first Paris Autumn Salon and at the Vienna Secession Exhibition in Vienna. In 1906, an exhibition was held at the Bernheim the Younger Gallery in Paris.
P. Bonnard travelled extensively in France, working in Normandy, the Seine Valley and Southern France. In 1912 he bought a house in Vernon (Eras). He travelled to neighbouring countries and North Africa. In 1925 he bought a villa near Cannes. By this time, Bonnard was a recognised artist and travelled to the USA in 1926. In 1938, the family sold their house in Vernon and finally settled in a villa near Cannes. In 1942, his wife Martha, whose character is said to have inspired many of his works, died. In 1946, a retrospective exhibition of Bonnard's work was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Pierre Bonnard died on 23 January 1947. 1947, 1947 in Le Canet, Southern France. Bonnard worked in a variety of genres, including illustration and scenery. His subjects were simple and varied: landscapes, nudes, still lifes, self-portraits, domestic interior scenes. A large collection of Bonnard's work is housed in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
