Bonnard did not discover his partner's real name until they married in 1925[7], thirty-two years after meeting. She called herself Marthe de Meligny and claimed to be a young Italian orphan. Her actual name was Maria Boursin. She was French[7], not Italian, and may have been secretly married to another man at the time they met.
Key facts
Biography
He was born in 1867[7] near Paris and studied law before turning to art. He became a member of the Nabis[7] group alongside Vuillard and Denis. Marthe appeared in approximately 384 of his paintings, often bathing. The bathroom scenes are among the most sustained examinations of a single subject in modern art: the same woman, the same water, the same light, painted over decades with increasing intensity of colour.
Bonnard was famous for sneaking into museums to retouch his own finished paintings. He enlisted his friend Vuillard to distract the guards while he adjusted a brushstroke or shifted a colour. The habit was genuine; the story of his arrest at the Louvre is probably myth.
After Marthe died in 1942[7], he forged her will, naming himself sole heir and backdating it. A Paris court posthumously declared him a forger and thief. He died in 1947[7], aged seventy-nine.
Timeline
- 1867Born in Fontenay-aux-Roses, near Paris. His father was a senior official in the French Ministry of War.
- 1890At 23, co-founded the Nabis group in Paris with Vuillard and Denis.
- 1893At 26, met Marthe de Meligny in Paris. She became his lifelong companion, muse, and subject of hundreds of paintings.
- 1925At 58, married Marthe after over thirty years together and bought a villa at Le Cannet in the south of France.
- 1947Died aged 79 in Le Cannet. His final painting, The Almond Tree in Blossom, was completed just days before his death.
Notable Works
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Where to See Pierre Bonnard
2 museums worldwide.
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15 works
Kunsthaus Zürich
Zurich, Switzerland
Related Artists
Frequently Asked Questions
How did pierre bonnard die?
Pierre Bonnard died in 1947[7] at the age of 80.Is pierre bonnard an impressionist?
Pierre Bonnard's work in the mid-1920s is described as a refined and intensified form of Impressionism.Pierre bonnard art movement?
Pierre Bonnard was a member of Les Nabis[7], a group of painters who aimed for a greater connection between art and everyday life. The Nabis shared an admiration for Cezanne.What is pierre bonnard known for?
Pierre Bonnard was an early follower of Gauguin and Japanese art. After years of painting trips to the South, he moved to a house at Le Cannet, near Cannes, in 1925[7].Where can i see pierre bonnard paintings?
Pierre Bonnard's works can be seen at National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Prints in the National Gallery of Art, and 2 other museums worldwide.Who is pierre bonnard?
Pierre Bonnard was born in France in 1867[7]. He is known for successfully conveying the atmosphere of heat and tranquillity of the South of France by using warm and bright tones of colour.Who was pierre bonnard's wife?
Pierre Bonnard's wife was Maria Boursin, who went by Marthe de Meligny.How did pierre bonnard become an artist?
Pierre Bonnard initially studied law in Paris. He later attended the Academie Julian and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he met K-X Roussel and Vuillard, who became his lifelong friends, and then gave up law to become an artist.What was pierre bonnard art style?
Pierre Bonnard's work is a refined and intensified form of Impressionism. He was interested in rhythm, shape, texture, colour, and the decorative possibilities of the visual world.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Pierre Bonnard.
- [1] museum Museum Barberini Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] museum Galleria d'arte moderna di Milano Used for: museum holdings.
- [3] museum Musée Granet Used for: museum holdings.
- [4] museum Carnegie Museum of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [5] museum Museum of Fine Arts of Reims Used for: museum holdings.
- [6] museum The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [7] wikipedia Wikipedia: Pierre Bonnard Used for: biography, birth dates, death dates, identifiers, movement attribution, nationality.
- [8] book Susie Hodge, Artistic Circles Used for: biography.
- [9] book Beard, Lee, 1973- author, Butler, Adam, author; Van Cleave, Claire, author; Fortenberry, Diane, author; Stirling, Susan, author, Beard, Lee, 1973- author, Butler, Adam, author; Van Cleave, Claire, author; Fortenberry, Diane, author; Stirling, Susan, author - The Art Book_ New Edition, Mini Format Used for: biography, stylistic analysis.
- [10] book guggenheim-guhe00solo Used for: biography.
- [11] book Susie Hodge, I Know an Artist Used for: biography, stylistic analysis.
- [12] book Susie Hodge, I Know an Artist: The Inspiring Connections Between the World's Greatest Artists Used for: biography, stylistic analysis.
- [13] book Watkins Jane (Ed.), Masterpieces of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. The Annenberg Collection_2 Used for: biography.
- [14] book Robert Hughes, The Shock of the New, 1980 Used for: stylistic analysis.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-31. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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