Pierre Bonnard

Galerie de la Présidence, Paris
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1985

Geneva, Musée Rath, Pierre Bonnard, 1981, no. 9, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Lodève, Musée de Lodève, Bonnard: Guetteur sensible du quotidien, 2009, no. 10, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Thadée Natanson, Le Bonnard que je propose, Geneva, 1951, illustrated pl. 16
Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard: Catalogue raisonne de l'œuvre peint 1888-1905, Paris, 1973, vol. I, no. 172, illustrated p. 199

The canvas is lined. Apart from some retouching to the centre-left of the canvas, and some scattered spots of retouching in the upper right quadrant visible under ultra-violet light, this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although the overall tonality is brighter and stronger in the original.
"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."

Painted in 1898, Le Fiacre dates from the artist's renowned period of Post-Impressionist painting.  Following the example of Paul Gauguin and the formal characteristics of his Pont-Aven style, the artist concerned himself with the textural quality of painting, or as Denis once explained, 'expression through decorative quality, through harmony of forms and colour, through the application of pigments, to expression through subject' (quoted in Pierre Bonnard (exhibition catalogue), Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1948, p. 15).  Bonnard incorporated these stylistic qualities into the present work, particularly in the way he has flattened the perspective of his composition so that all of the figures appear on an equal register. He offers in this work an eloquent and boldly modern interpretation of the bustling streets of Paris at the turn of the last century - the centre of cultural vivacity and refined elegance. Bonnard captures the dynamism of his subject in the rich tones that distinguish his groundbreaking work in the late 1890s.

The figural choreography and flattened planes of colour in this work also demonstrate Bonnard's fascination with Asian visual culture. The artist had seen several reproductions of Japanese art in the department stores around Paris and once explained his good fortune at having come across these images:  '[...] I found for one or two sous thick crepe material or crushed rice paper in astonishing colours. I'm filling up my room with this naïve and boisterous imagery. Gauguin, Serusier looked back to the past, in fact.  But here, what I had in front of me, was something that was completely alive, extremely sophisticated' (quoted in Michael Terrasse, Bonnard, From the Drawings to the Paintings, Paris, 1996, p. 17). Informed by these influences extant at the end of the 19th century, Bonnard's Le Fiacre simultaneously captures the essence of Parisian life at the time while its formal qualities foretell the coming revelations of Modernism.