Pierre Bonnard

Bernheim-Jeune (acquired from the artist in 1931)
Alfred Bernheim (acquired from the above in 1931)
Sam Salz, New York
Stead H. Stead-Ellis, Scotland
Richard Zeisler, New York
Gift from the above

"Pierre Bonnard", L'Art d'aujourd'hui, 4e année, no. 15, Autumn, 1927, illustration of the work in a previous state, unsigned, pl. 55
Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, 1940-47, supplément 1887-1893, vol. IV, no. 01860, illustrated p. 230

Good condition. Original canvas. Surface is slightly dirty. Minor paint shrinkage near lower left corner. Under UV light, ten to fifteen scattered spots of inpainting near the center of top edge, as well as a two inch long stroke of inpainting above the top of the steeple, and a few spots at top of left edge to address frame abrasion. Otherwise fine.
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Bonnard's fascination with the vibrant urban landscape of Paris can be traced to his paintings of the mid-1890s (see fig. 1). The spectacle of urban modernity provided a colorful source of inspiration, and the artist was drawn to the variety of subjects it offered. His city scenes reflect a unique joie de vivre achieved through the use of bright tones and a strong sense of energy and movement. In Rue à Montmartre, Le Sacré-Coeur, Bonnard provides a distinctly elevated view which calls to mind the Japanese woodblock prints that so heavily influenced him after his visit to an exhibition of Far Eastern art at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1890.

In the autumn of 1899, Bonnard rented a studio and apartment at 65 rue de Douai, near Place Clichy and Place Pigalle, with a view towards Montmartre. Charles Terrasse later recalled Bonnard's studio, "There were canvases. Easels all around, and in an angle a small table where one would have lunch. The balcony was a place that was particularly attractive. From there one could see so many things. A whole world. The street below was bustling... agitated like a sea" (quoted in Charles Terrasse, Pierre Bonnard: Early and Late (exhibition catalogue), The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., 2003, p. 33). After the turn of the century, Bonnard divided his time between the apartment in Paris and the countryside of Normandy and his oeuvre reveals a sensitivity to the polarities of a vibrant urban life and the stillness of the Normandy interiors. In Rue à Montmartre, Le Sacré-Coeur, Bonnard seems to isolate the cityscape from the crowds of people. Instead he relates the vivacity of Paris through brightly-colored interpretations of her architecture. The result is a distinctly unique and brilliant example from one of the artist's most important series.

Fig. 1 Pierre Bonnard, La Place Clichy et le Sacré-Coeur, circa 1895, oil on canvas, Municipal Gallery of Art, Dublin

Fig. 2 Kasuya-Gongen-Kenki-Emaki, The Garden Gate at Fujiwara Toshimori, 14th Century woodblock print