French, 1867 - 1947
One of the great French Impressionists
Besides being a great painter, Bonnard was an enthusiastic print maker and he started his career as an illustrator and lithographer. His first poster 'France Champagne' (Bouvet 1) was the inspiration for Toulouse-Lautrec to begin making lithographic posters. Bonnard broke away from the established type of poster design by such artists as Cheret and Moucha.
Bonnard and his friends in the 'Nabis' (Prophets) group were inspired by the bold colours of Gaugin's paintings and this influence was predominant in Bonnard's lithographic work.
Towards the end of his career (1941-3) Bonnard embarked on a remarkable series of eleven colour lithographs with the assistance of Jacques Villon. ...