Published on the occasion of Bonnard intime. Les toilettes de Marthe / L’Atelier au mimosa at the Musée Bonnard in Le Cannet, this exhibition catalog explores one of the most intimate and enduring subjects in Pierre Bonnard’s art. Following in the footsteps of Edgar Degas, Bonnard transformed the traditional motif of the female bather into a deeply personal exploration of color, space, memory and perception. At the center of these works was Marthe de Méligny (born Maria Boursin), Bonnard’s lifelong companion, later his wife, and his most enduring model. He depicted her repeatedly over several decades, particularly in intimate domestic settings and during her bathing rituals.
The exhibition is the first devoted entirely to this subject and brings together paintings, gouaches, watercolors, ink and pencil drawings, and photographs, revealing the remarkable variety of ways in which Bonnard returned to Marthe and the private spaces surrounding her.
Regarded as one of the great colorists of the twentieth century, Pierre Bonnard developed a highly individual approach to modern painting. Richly illustrated with 132 images, Bonnard intime: Les toilettes de Marthe / Marthe at Her Toilette offers a focused examination of this central theme in his oeuvre and its place within French modern art and early 20th-century painting.
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