Pierre Bonnard was born October 3, 1867 at Fontenay-aux-Roses, near Paris, into the family of a high-ranking official in the French War Ministry. After an idyllic and happy childhood, in 1886, Pierre entered the University of Paris to study law. In 1887, he also enrolled for evening classes at the Académie Julian, a liberal Parisian art school, where he made friends with Paul Sérusier (1864-1927), Mauris Denis (1870-1943), Henri Ibels (1867-1936) and Paul Ranson (1862-1909). The five friends formed a society known as Nabiim or the Nabis after the Hebrew for'prophets'.
1891. Lithograph in 3 colors.
c.1889. Tempera on canvas. 21.5 x 15.8 cm. Private collection.
1891. Oil on canvas. 40 x 32. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute at Williamstown, MA, USA.
1891. Oil on canvas. 36.3 x 39.5 cm. Southampton City Art Gallery, Southampton, NY, USA.
1891. Oil on canvas. 38 x 36 cm. Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France.
1892-98. Four-panel Panneaux. Oil on canvas. Private collection.
1892-98. Four-panel Panneaux. Oil on canvas. Private collection.
1892-98. Four-panel Panneaux. Oil on canvas. Private collection.
1892-98. Four-panel Panneaux. Oil on canvas. Private collection.
1893. Oil on wood. 37 x 27 cm. The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA.
1894. Colored lithography.
1894. oil on canvas. Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France.
c.1895. Oil on wood. 30 x 40 cm. The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA.
c.1896-1898. Oil on carton parquete. Private collection.
1896. Oil on canvas. Private collection.
c.1897. Oil on wood. Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nancy, France.
1898. Oil on canvas. Private collection.
1899. Private collection.
1899. Oil on canvas. Private collection.
c.1899. Oil on canvas. 92 x 108 cm. Private collection.
Pierre Bonnard. By N.V. Yavorsky. Moscow. 1972.
French Painting from the Hermitage, Leningrad. Mid-19th to early 20th century. Aurora. Leningrad. 1975.
Painting of Europe. XIII-XX centuries. Encyclopedic Dictionary. Iskusstvo. 1999.
Pierre Bonnard: Observing Nature by Pierre Bonnard, Gloria Groom (Contributor), Ursula Perucchi-Petri (Contributor), Belinda Thomson, Jorg Zutter (Editor). National Gallery of Australia, 2003
Bonnard: Shimmering Color by Antoine Terrasse (Author), Laurel Hirsch. Harry N. Abrams, 2000.
Bonnard by Nicholas Watkins (Author). Phaidon Press Inc., 1996.
Interpreting Bonnard: Color and Light by Nicholas Watkins. Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1998.