皮耶·博納爾

Neffe-Degant Fine Art, London

Salis & Vertes, Salzburg

Private Collection, Ireland

Sale: Christie's, London, 29th June 1999, lot 24

Purchased at the above sale by the late owner

Venice, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, The Timeless Eye. Master Drawings from the Jan and Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski Collection,1999, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Miradas sin Tiempo. Dibujos, Pinturas y Esculturas de la Coleccion Jan y Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2000, no. 157, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Paris, Musée Jacquemart-André, La passion du dessin. Collection Jan et Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2002, no. 145, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Vienna, Albertina Museum, Goya bis Picasso. Mesiterwerke der Sammlung Jan Krugier und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2005, no. 61, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Munich, Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Das Ewige Auge - Von Rembrandt bis Picasso. Meisterwerke aus der Sammlung Jan Krugier und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2007, no. 145, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

André Lhote, Bonnard: Seize Peintures 1939-43, Paris, 1944, illustrated

François-Joachim Beer, Pierre Bonnard, Marseille, 1947, no. 119, illustrated p. 139

Guy Amoureaux, L'Univers de Bonnard, Paris, 1985, illustrated in colour p. 73 (as dating from 1930-35)

Bonnard retrouvé (exhibition catalogue), Fondation Bemberg, Hôtel d'Assezat, Toulouse, 1997, illustrated in colour p. 20

Bonnard (exhibition catalogue), Tate Gallery, London, 1998, illustrated p. 240

Executed on cream wove paper and hinged to the mount at the upper corners. There are artist's pin-holes in all four corners and some old hinges remain affixed to the reverse. The sheet has been folded towards the upper edge, which is only prominently visible from the reverse. Apart from a 3cm. repaired tear on the lower edge towards the centre, this work is in good condition. Colours: In comparison to the printed catalogue illustration, the colours are overall less warm and more subtle 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."

Nu à la baignoire, executed circa 1940, is an exquisite rendition of the most important subject of Bonnard's mature career. From the turn of the century until his death, the artist continuously returned to depicting the female figure in the intimate setting of the bathroom and boudoir. Painted in luminous tones of yellows, blues and pinks, the present work is an exceptionally rare fully realised work on paper, which relates to one of his finest late canvases, Nu dans le bain au petit chien (fig. 1), which is now in the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. Bonnard’s female figures were usually posed in domestic settings in various states of undress - preparing for or after their bath. In the present work Bonnard has created a strongly asymmetrical composition wherein the entire sheet is enlivened by the various decorative patterns created by the chequered tiles and flooring. Between these bold designs, the bather is interposed, her body refracted by the water and her nudity is emphasised and sensualised.