The Artist's Sister and Her Children
1898
Medium
oil on cardboard on wood
Dimensions
overall: 30.5 x 25.4 cm (12 x 10 in.) framed: 52.7 x 47 x 12.1 cm (20 3/4 x 18 1/2 x 4 3/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CMC
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection
Accession Number
1970.17.6
Art Historical Context
Pierre Bonnard's *The Artist's Sister and Her Children* (1898) captures an intimate family moment in oil on cardboard mounted on wood, a modest 12 x 10 inches. This small-scale painting, now housed in the National Gallery of Art as part of Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, reflects Bonnard's early fascination with domestic life. As a founding member of the Post-Impressionist group Les Nabis, Bonnard often depicted loved ones in everyday settings, blending tender observation with a decorative, pattern-filled aesthetic inspired by Japanese prints. The choice of cardboard as a support lends the wor...
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...