Preliminary design of book-plate for Misia
c.1920
Medium
etching
Dimensions
plate: 7.2 x 5.7 cm (2 13/16 x 2 1/4 in.) sheet: 7.5 x 12.5 cm (2 15/16 x 4 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Virginia and Ira Jackson Collection
Accession Number
2005.157.4
Art Historical Context
Pierre Bonnard's *Preliminary design of book-plate for Mis* (c. 1920) is a charming etching from the National Gallery of Art's Virginia and Ira Jackson Collection. just 7.2 x 5.7 cm on the plate, this intimate print served as a preparatory sketch for an ex-libr—a personalized bookplate used to mark ownership in private libraries. Created during Bonnard's mature period, it reflects the French artist's affinity for everyday elegance amid the cultural vibrancy of early 20th-century Paris. As a master of Post-Impressionism and a key figure in the Nabi movement, Bonnard infused his prints with the...
About the Artist
Pierre Bonnard
Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947) was a French painter and printmaker who became a leading figure in the Post-Impressionist movement and a founding member of Les Nabis. Born on October 3, 1867, in Fontenay-aux-Roses, France, Bonnard initially studied law at his father's insistence, graduating and briefly practicing as a barrister in 1888. However, his true passion lay in art, and he had simultaneously at...