In parallel with his law degree in 1887, Pierre Bonnard studied at the Julian Academy with Paul Serusier and Maurice Denis and was quickly admitted to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris. He met Ker-Xavier Roussel and Edouard Vuillard and took part in the Nabis group founded by Paul Sérusier, in which he was described as 'Nabis tres japonard' / 'A very Japanese Nabis' because of his arabesque shapes and colours, which he applied flat, avoiding any effect of depth. As for his subjects, they are always borrowed from his daily life; landscapes, interior views, still lifes, or even female nudes.
Read MoreIn 1891, he participated for the first time in the Salon des Indépendants and enjoyed his first success after his poster "France-Champagne" was exhibited on the walls of paris. From that moment on, Pierre Bonnard decided to abandon law in favour of devoting himself exclusively to painting. He shared a studio at 28 rue Pigalle with Maurice Denis and Edouard Vuillard. In 1893, he met Maria Boursin who called herself Marthe de Méligny. She became his model that same year before becoming his wife in 1925.
His first solo exhibition took place in 1896 at Durand-Ruel, the following year he participated in numerous group exhibitions at the Vollard Gallery and the Bernheim-Jeune Gallery. Nowadays, the artist's most important exhibitions take place at the Chicago Art Institute, the MoMA in New York and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, among others.
Text courtesy Helene Bailly.
