Bonnard, Pierre

Bonnard, Pierre pyĕr bônärdˈ [key], 1867–1947, French painter, lithographer, and illustrator. In the 1890s he was associated with the Nabis. His delight in familiar views of everyday life was transmitted to canvas with joy and gentle fantasy. Sometimes called an intimist, he explored the play of sunlight in domestic interiors in an exuberant style that was extremely close to impressionism (e.g., Bowl of Fruit, 1933; Philadelphia Mus. of Art). His other favorite subjects include landscapes, nudes, and self-portraits. Bonnard also had a reputation as a lithographer; his well-known prints include Daphnis and Chloe (1902). He also designed sets for the stage.

See biography by A. Terasse (1967); exhibition catalogs of the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. (1982), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1990), and the Tate Gallery (1998); monograph produced by the Hermitage and the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville Paris (2006); studies by C. Roger-Marx (1952), J. Elliott et al. (1964), A. Fermigier (1970), and N. Watkins (1994).

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