- 85
Pierre Bonnard
Description
- Pierre Bonnard
- Avenue du Bois
- stamped Bonnard (lower left)
- oil on board
- 50.5 by 66cm.
- 19 7/8 by 26in.
Provenance
Acquired from the above by the family of the present owners in the 1950s
Exhibited
Melbourne, National Gallery of Victoria; Adelaide, The Art Gallery of South Australia; Perth, The Art Gallery of Western Australia & Sydney, Australia Museum, Pierre Bonnard, 1971, no. 9, illustrated in colour in the catalogue (titled Avenue du Bois de Boulogne and as dating from circa 1912-14)
Johannesburg, Johannesburgse Kunsmuseum, Pierre Bonnard, 1971-72, no. 9 (titled Avenue du Bois de Boulogne and as dating from circa 1912-14)
Brussels, Musée Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bonnard - Vuillard - Rousell, 1975, no. 7 (titled Avenue de Bois de Boulogne)
Literature
Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, catalogue raisonné de l’œuvre peint, Paris, 1968, vol. I, no. 313, illustrated p. 286
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."
Catalogue Note
Bonnard shared his fascination with the city with Impressionist and post-Impressionist artists, including Caillebotte, Monet and Pissarro, all of whom executed a number of works depicting Parisian boulevards, squares and bridges, usually characterised by a sense of the rich and varied life of the city. Gustave Geffroy commented: 'no-one is quicker than Bonnard to seize the look of our Parisian streets, the silhouettes of a passer-by and the patch of colour which stands out in the Metropolitan mist. [He] seizes on all the momentary phenomena of the street, even the most fugitive glances are caught and set down' (G. Geffroy, quoted in Pierre Bonnard (exhibition catalogue), Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1996, p. 16).