Description

Color and sensuality. Pierre Bonnard

The catalogue stages a retrospective of the work of Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947), one of the most fascinating painters of the modern era. An outstanding colorist, it was his goal to express all sensory impressions through color alone. He found his favorite subjects in his personal sphere, whereby his homes in Normandy and on the Côte d’Azur played a special role, supplying him with the constellations and inspiration he needed for his color compositions. The catalogue presents a veritable maison imaginaire of the themes and motifs to which Bonnard remained faithful throughout his life. Containing 60 paintings from international museums and private collections, the catalogue provides a new overview of Bonnard’s oeuvre and his development as an artist. His famous scenes of bathers, the views of his garden, his painted snapshots of daily life and his portraits of the bustling streets of Paris are all infused with a sensual, shimmering, glowing quality. They bear impressive witness to the spectacular worlds of color conjured by the Post-Impressionists.

Texts by Evelyn Benesch, Andreas Beyer, Marina Ferretti Bocquillon, Fiona Hesse, Michiko Kono, Ulf Küster and Beate Söntgen discuss Pierre Bonnard’s significance and position within the history of art.