This
is a superb original vintage limited edition etching by internationally
acclaimed artist PIERRE BONNARD
(French, 1867-1947), dating from 1930.
This rare original vintage etching is from the book Sainte
Monique, (B. 111), 1930, and is
signed by the artist in the plate on the lower center with the monogram “PB”.
It is number XXII from the hors commerce limited edition of only
35 impressions printed on Arches paper. It was published by Ambroise Vollard,
Paris, in 1930. It has full margins, measures 10” x 12 ¾” (sheet), 6” x 8 ½”
(plate) and is unframed. It is in excellent condition aside from pale sheet
toning, a small handling crease at the image center left, and original residual
adhesive along the sheet left edge. This is an original vintage etching from
1930, not a restrike or later impression. A copy of the original justification
page will be provided to the buyer. CATALOGUE
REFERENCE: Francis Bouvet, Bonnard, The Complete Graphic Work,
New York, Gallery Books, 1981. pp. 254-282.
Authenticity is GUARANTEED. Packing, shipping and
insurance is $20.00 within the US only, please email for international shipping
rates. Please view my other auctions and eBay
store for additional museum quality fine art and collectibles, including other rare
Pierre Bonnard prints from this series.
A Symbolist writer colleague described Pierre Bonnard as
"capable of embellishing all the ugly things of our life with the
ingenious and iridescent flowerings of his imagination." A War Ministry
official's son, Bonnard was destined for the law, but on becoming a barrister
in 1889, he was already attending the Académie
Julian and meeting painters Paul Sérusier and Maurice Denis. By 1890 he had
evolved his own style through studying Paul Gauguin's art and Japanese prints.
In joining Sérusier's group the Nabis, Bonnard shared a commitment to everyday
objects; he created designs for decorative panels, stained glass, pottery,
fans, and furniture. In 1891 Bonnard's first, competition-winning poster so
impressed Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec that Lautrec decided to enter the art field
himself. With money and courage from this poster's success, Bonnard quit the
law and rented a studio in Montmartre. By the
early 1900s, the Nabis had separated. Bonnard traveled throughout Europe, often accompanied by Édouard Vuillard. He began
interweaving colors on his canvases like the Impressionists,
but unlike his predecessors, Bonnard was concerned with stringent compositional
order and color's expressiveness. Ironically, he also found support in new
friendships with Impressionists Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. After
1920 Bonnard's painting and printmaking were constantly acclaimed on both sides
of the Atlantic.
