Pierre Bonnard: A Musée d’Orsay Special Exhibition
“Pierre Bonnard: A Musée d’Orsay Special Exhibition” opens on September 26, 2018, at The National Art Center, Tokyo, in Roppongi.
The 2015 “Pierre Bonnard” exhibition drew as many as 510,000 visitors and, after the 2014 “Van Gogh” exhibition, is ranked second in all-time attendance among special exhibitions. My personal impression is that Bonnard is not so well known in Japan — but perhaps that’s just me?
Below are five points to look out for at this exhibition, which drew such vast audiences.
- The Musée d’Orsay’s entire Bonnard collection travels to Japan at once! Around 30 paintings will be shown here for the first time
- Bonnard’s devotion to Japanese art — earning him the nickname “the very Japanese Nabi” — is introduced
- An exploration of “the adventure of the optic nerve,” in which the process of seeing is turned into painting
- Bonnard’s muse — the enigmatic Marthe — accents the exhibition
- Bonnard’s beloved dogs and cats appear throughout
Have you formed an image of what’s in store?
Let’s now pick out some of the works on view and take a closer look.
Photographs of Bonnard himself are also on display — and he strikes one as a rather unconventional figure who won’t be pinned down.
Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947) painted many works whose motifs are animals, especially cats. A campaign is currently underway on Instagram using the hashtag “#byoncat” (the Instagram campaign is live). Bonnard, who kept a cat and four dogs, painted animals into some 700 of the roughly 2,300 works he produced over his lifetime.
Bonnard also earned the moniker “the very Japanese Nabi” for decorative compositions markedly influenced by ukiyo-e.
Entering the 20th century, he threw himself into “the adventure of the optic nerve” — the question of how to render in painting the impression of what one sees — and produced many works of vivid color. They give a hazy impression, with compositions and perspective that feel curiously uncanny.
Photographs featuring Bonnard himself, as well as photographs taken by Bonnard, are also on view. Bonnard is quite a good-looking fellow, isn’t he!?
Bonnard worked across a wide range beyond painting alone — lithographs, photographs, and more. He displayed his gifts as a graphic artist as well.
We also get glimpses of Bonnard in a more relaxed setting. Having thought him handsome, I found the next surreal photo unexpectedly amusing…
Through works spanning various genres, the exhibition promises to shed light on the appeal of this enigmatic painter. Anticipation, at any rate, is high!
Overview
“Pierre Bonnard: A Musée d’Orsay Special Exhibition”
Period: September 26 – December 17, 2018
Venue: The National Art Center, Tokyo, Special Exhibition Gallery 1E
Address: 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Opening hours: 10:00–18:00 (Fri, Sat until 20:00; September 28, 29 until 21:00) *Last admission 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Tuesdays
Admission: General 1,600 yen / University 1,200 yen / High school 800 yen / Junior high and younger free
November 14–26 is a free-admission period for high-school students (student ID required).
