Pierre Bonnard, French, 1867-1947
Title: Le Déjeuner
Date: 1923
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
41.3 x 62.2 cm
Signed: upper right: Bonnard
Credit Line: Purchased, 2006
Object Number: NGI.2006.23
DescriptionThis vibrantly coloured scene is set in Ma Roulotte (My Caravan), Bonnard’s country house at Vernonnet in the Seine Valley. The artist had purchased the house in 1912 and for several decades its light-filled interior, sunny terrace and verdant grounds provided inspiration for him to explore the effects of light and colour.
The woman pictured at the dining table is Marthe de Méligny, the artist’s companion
and future wife. Her distinctive red blouse features in a number of paintings made by Bonnard at the time. A man, thought to be Bonnard, sits opposite. Their relaxed poses, along with the crumpled napkin and casual table setting, convey a sense of informality, warmth and ease. The bold diagonal stripes of the tablecloth playfully distort perspective and enhance the decorative nature of the scene. Bonnard is likely to have painted Le Déjeuner in his studio, working from sketches, photos and memory to create a composite of real and imagined details. He enjoyed renewed success in the 1920s; Henri Matisse and Paul Signac, who were similarly preoccupied with colour and pattern, greatly admired his work.
March 2016
The woman pictured at the dining table is Marthe de Méligny, the artist’s companion
and future wife. Her distinctive red blouse features in a number of paintings made by Bonnard at the time. A man, thought to be Bonnard, sits opposite. Their relaxed poses, along with the crumpled napkin and casual table setting, convey a sense of informality, warmth and ease. The bold diagonal stripes of the tablecloth playfully distort perspective and enhance the decorative nature of the scene. Bonnard is likely to have painted Le Déjeuner in his studio, working from sketches, photos and memory to create a composite of real and imagined details. He enjoyed renewed success in the 1920s; Henri Matisse and Paul Signac, who were similarly preoccupied with colour and pattern, greatly admired his work.
March 2016
ProvenancePurchased from the artist by Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, 1923; puchased by M. Knoedler & Co. Inc., New York, 1927; purchased by Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, 1930; purchased by L'Art Moderne, Lucerne; purchased by Seligmann Galleries, New York; purchased by Stephen Carlton Clark, New York, 1931; presented to The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1937; purchased by Richard L. Feigen and Co., New York, 1971; purchased by Mr and Mrs Philip Levin, 21 April 1971; presented to The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, 2001; purchased at Christie's, New York, 8 November 2006, Impressionist and Modern Art sale, lot 21.
Exhibition HistoryXVIIie Exposition Internationale des Beaux-arts, Venice, 1930
Cooper Union Museum, New York, 1934
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1938
Paintings by Bonnard and Vuillard, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 1938-1939
Golden Gate International Exposition, Treasure Island, San Francisco, 1939-1940
Twentieth-Century Paintings, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1940-1941
Objects as Subjects, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1945-1947
The School of Paris, Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, 1948
Pierre Bonnard, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1948
Impressionism, University School of Art, Syracuse; New York, 1949
From Delacroix to the Neo-Impressionists, Lyman Allyn Art Museum, Connecticut College, New London, 1950
Group Exhibition, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1950
Fine Art Painting Summer Exhibition, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1951
Paintings and Sculpture from the Museum of Modern Art Collection, Akron Art Institute, Ohio, 1951
Still Life, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1951-1953
Bonnard, Musee de Lyon, 1954
Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Exhibition, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1954-1955
Exhibition in conjunction with the Washington-Rochambeau Celebration, The Preservation Society, Newport, 1955
French and American Impressionism, Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, 1956
The Art of Eating: A Loan Exhibition, The John and Mable Ringling Museum, Sarasota, 1956
Loan Exhibition of works by Pierre Bonnard, Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, 1957
Pierre Bonnard, Royal Academy, London, 1966
A Very Private Collection: Janice H. Levin's Impressionist Pictures, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2002-2003
An Impressionist Eye: Painting and Sculpture from the Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, The Birmingham Museum of Art and elsewhere, 2004-2005
Impressionist Interiors, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 10 May - 10 August 2008
Lines of Vision. Irish Writers at the National Gallery of Ireland, 8 October 2014 —12 April 2015
Cooper Union Museum, New York, 1934
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1938
Paintings by Bonnard and Vuillard, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 1938-1939
Golden Gate International Exposition, Treasure Island, San Francisco, 1939-1940
Twentieth-Century Paintings, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1940-1941
Objects as Subjects, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1945-1947
The School of Paris, Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, 1948
Pierre Bonnard, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1948
Impressionism, University School of Art, Syracuse; New York, 1949
From Delacroix to the Neo-Impressionists, Lyman Allyn Art Museum, Connecticut College, New London, 1950
Group Exhibition, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1950
Fine Art Painting Summer Exhibition, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1951
Paintings and Sculpture from the Museum of Modern Art Collection, Akron Art Institute, Ohio, 1951
Still Life, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1951-1953
Bonnard, Musee de Lyon, 1954
Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Exhibition, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1954-1955
Exhibition in conjunction with the Washington-Rochambeau Celebration, The Preservation Society, Newport, 1955
French and American Impressionism, Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, 1956
The Art of Eating: A Loan Exhibition, The John and Mable Ringling Museum, Sarasota, 1956
Loan Exhibition of works by Pierre Bonnard, Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, 1957
Pierre Bonnard, Royal Academy, London, 1966
A Very Private Collection: Janice H. Levin's Impressionist Pictures, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2002-2003
An Impressionist Eye: Painting and Sculpture from the Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, The Birmingham Museum of Art and elsewhere, 2004-2005
Impressionist Interiors, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 10 May - 10 August 2008
Lines of Vision. Irish Writers at the National Gallery of Ireland, 8 October 2014 —12 April 2015
Label TextThis scene is set in the dining room of Bonnard’s country house at Vernonnet in the Seine valley. The woman in the red blouse is Marthe de Méligny, the artist’s muse, model, and future wife. The man is believed to be Bonnard. Their relaxed poses and the informal setting convey a sense of intimacy and ease. Bonnard’s use of varied pattern and vibrant colour enhances the convivial atmosphere of the scene.