Pierre Bonnard, catalogue raisonné de l’oeuvre peint, 1888-1905, Volume 1, 1st edition (book)

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Bonnard, catalog raisonné of painted works, 1888-1905 (book) by Jean and Henry Dauberville. Volume 1, period 1888-1905. In very good condition but some marks on the cover. Hardcover. This is the first edition of volume 1 published in 1965. Publisher Bernheim-jeune. It is a print on luxury Montevrain paper and printed to 1000 copies, by the Presses des Ateliers Relais parisiens. French version.

Nabism, which is similar to symbolism, appeared in 1888 and did not last more than ten years. Bonnard is one of its founders. The nabis having the habit of giving themselves meaningful nicknames, Bonnard will be called the Japanese nabi. He was in fact strongly influenced in the 1890s by Japanese prints, which were very popular at that time.

Pierre Bonnard is also involved in a lot of decorative work: theater sets, posters, illustrations for magazines or albums. For example, in 1897, he was commissioned by the writer and gallery owner Ambroise Vollard (1866-1939) to illustrate a collection of poems by Verlaine entitled “Parallèlement”, for which he produced 109 lithographs. Every year, he participates in the Salon des Indépendants, which was created in 1884 by artists who did not want a jury or a reward.

In 1893, he met Maria Boursin (1869-1942) who would become his main model and then his wife. The young woman introduces herself to him under the name Marthe de Méligny and claims to be descended from a family of the Italian aristocracy. She is actually a saleswoman in an artificial flower business and comes from a modest family in Berry. She only revealed, under duress and force, her true identity in 1925, on the occasion of her marriage to the painter. The first name Marthe remained with her and, having learned to paint, she exhibited in the 1920s under the name Marthe Solange.