Pierre Bonnard

Post-Impressionist painter Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) was one of the greatest colorists in modern art. A founding member of Les Nabis, he created intimate domestic scenes bathed in warm, vibrant light. His paintings of interiors, gardens, and his wife Marthe in the bathtub capture everyday life with shimmering color harmonies. Japanese prints influenced his early work's flat areas and decorative compositions, earning him the nickname "the very Japanese Nabi."

Bonnard studied law briefly before training at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and Academie Julian, where he met future Nabis members. His first commercial success came with a France-Champagne poster. He lived with Marthe for 32 years before marrying her in 1925; she appears in hundreds of his paintings. Visits to southern France from 1909 intensified his palette ("this colour that drives one wild"). Matisse defended him against critics: "Bonnard is a great artist for our time and, naturally, for posterity." His final painting, The Almond Tree in Blossom, was finished a week before his death. Major works hang at the Musee d'Orsay, the Tate, and the Museum of Modern Art.