Pierre Bonnard

André Dunoyer de Segonzac, Paris
Collection particulière, France

Claude Roger-Marx, Bonnard, lithographe, Monte-Carlo, 1952, no. 47
Francis Bouvet, Bonnard, l'œuvre gravé, catalogue complet, Paris, 1981, no. 55

Executed on cream wove paper. Each of the four sheets have been laid down on board. There are large lacunae at the lower edge of three of the sheets, one at the upper right corner of one of the sheets, and small lacunae scattered in the upper third of the left sheet (visible in the catalogue illustratiion). There are repaired tears running from the upper edge of the two left sheets, oxydation spots along some of the edges, and some water stains in the lower third of the outer sheets. This work is in stable condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

signed 'PB' (lower right on one of the sheets), lithograph printed in five colours on four sheets. Executed in 1897 and printed in an edition of 110 by the publisher Molines, Paris.

 

Avec l'ouverture du Japon à l'Occident, c'est toute la tradition du paravent de Korîn, Tôhaku, Sesshu...qui vient renouveler la tradition du paravent en Europe. Rappelant le format vertical des kakemonos, le paravent, à la croisée des arts décoratifs, de la peinture de chevalet et de la peinture monumentale, devient l'espace privilégié où décliner en deux, trois ou quatre volets de véritables fresques picturales.

Déjà converti aux principes de l'estampe japonaise (aplats de couleurs, étagement des plans, abolition de la perspective géométrique, diagonales dynamiques, silhouettes fluides...), Bonnard s'essaie à l'art délicat du paravent en 1892. En 1894, convaincu de pouvoir en explorer tous les possibles, il conçoit le projet, ambitieux, de La Promenade des Nourrices, frise des fiacres. En 1897, trois ans après le modello peint à la détrempe, le paravent est édité sous forme de lithographies (un medium particulièrement cher aux Nabis) imprimées en cinq couleurs et tirées à 110 exemplaires par l'éditeur Molines, 20 rue Laffitte à Paris.

Comme il en est de l'exemplaire conservé dans les collections du Musée d'Orsay, le présent paravent est un des rares exemplaires complets qui subsiste de ce projet de paravent à quatre feuilles. Près de la moitié ayant été détruits, certains panneaux ayant eux-mêmes et dès l'origine, pu être vendus non montés, il n'en resterait probablement à ce jour qu'une dizaine entre des mains privées.

 

When Japan opened up to the West, the influence of the historic tradition of Korîn, Tôhaku, and Sesshu screens transformed European screen techniques.  Reminiscent of the vertical format of kakemonos, the screen, at the crossroads between decorative art, easel painting and murals, becomes a privileged space where frescos unfold between two, three or four panels.

Already a convert to the principles of Japanese prints (flat planes of colour, superimposed layers, an absence of geometric perspective, dynamic diagonals, moving silhouettes...), Bonnard first tried his hand at the delicate art of the screen in 1892.  In 1894, determined to explore all the possibilities of this new genre, he devised the ambitious project La Promenade des Nourrices, frise des fiacres.  In 1897, three years after the tempera model, he reworked the screen in the form of lithographs (a medium that was particularly dear to the Nabis), printed in five colours in 110 editions by the publisher Molines, based in Paris at 20 Rue Laffitte.

Along with the version housed in the Musée d'Orsay, the present screen is one of the rare complete examples that exist today of this four-panelled screen.  Over half of them have been destroyed, from the outset certain panels were sold separately, and today probably only a dozen remain in private hands.