Pierre Bonnard

Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (acquired from the artist)

Henri Canone, Paris (acquired from the above)

Galerie Paul Rosenberg, Paris

Private Collection, Paris (acquired from the above circa 1935)

André Goldet, Paris (in 1957)

Michel Goldet & Sabine Pierre-Brossolette, Paris

Acquired as a gift from the above in 1982

Paris, Salon des Artistes Indépendants, 1923

Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne, Depuis Bonnard, 1957, no. 44

Roverto, Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Roverto, Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, Masterpieces from the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 2008-09

Le Bulletin de la Vie artistique, Paris, February 15, 1923, p. 92

Art vivant, Paris, 1928, illustrated

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, vol. 3, Paris, 1973, no. 1142, illustrated p. 132

Excellent condition. Original canvas. Under UV light, no evidence of retouching.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

With an exacting focus on this densely-arranged bowl of grapes and pears, Bonnard exemplifies the intimisme of his earlier Nabis pictures and the vibrant coloration that define his later years.  Still-lifes had occupied a large part of the artist's oeuvre over the course of his career, but as he developed his style, his approach to these compositions become more experimental.  Nature morte evidences his daring approach in compositional arrangement, as he bunches the tablecloth in front of the bowl so that the underlying fabric is as dominant as any other feature in the composition.

In a recent exhibition catalogue on Bonnard's still-lifes, Dita Amory describes how Bonnard developed relationships with objects he painted, enabling him to reveal a particular beauty that might otherwise be overlooked:  "In all his waking moments, Bonnard was searching for the shock of an image, for its potential to become a painting.  In that sense he was not a voyeur but a silent witness, someone simultaneously inside and outside of any given moment.  His discreet presence in the room where he worked gave him status equal to that of the objects he painted; he was one with the chair, the sugar bowl, the teapot, the saltcellar.  In order to paint an object he needed to be familiar with it, to see it sympathetically, or as having its own personality.  Once, when asked to consider some charming ensemble as a potential still life,  he responded simply, 'I haven't lived with that long enough to paint it'" (D. Amory, "The Presence of Objects: Still Life in Bonnard's Late Paintings," in Pierre Bonnard, The Late Still Lifes and Interiors (exhibition catalogue), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2009, p. 26).