Never has London been more exciting as it will be in 2019
The Tate Modern will stage the UK’s first major Pierre Bonnard exhibition in 20 years, showing the work of this innovative and much-loved French painter in a new light. It will reveal how Bonnard’s intense colours and modern compositions transformed painting in the first half of the 20th century, and will celebrate his unparalleled ability to capture fleeting moments, memories and emotions on canvas.
The Tate first exhibited Bonnard 20 years ago. The Tate will now be able to exhibit Pierre Bonnard again and allow a future generation to discover this incredible artist. Born in 1867, Bonnard was with Henri Matisse, one of the greatest colourists of the early 20th century. The exhibition will concentrate on his works from 1912, when colour became his dominate concern, until his death in 1947.
The beauty of his work and why it is so special and unique came from his deep desire to capture the spirit of the moment and paint from memory, capturing the very essence of a fleeting moment suspending it in time and colour never to be forgotten. You will be able to see for yourself how Bonnard eschewed the clear well-defined forms of classical art to orchestrate a symphony of coloured blurs and smudges that only gradually add up to scenes of everyday life.
This wonderful technique enabled him to express his work through his own conception of a moment whether it was someone leaving a room an unfinished meal, a lost view or a stolen look to one’s lover. It will reveal how Bonnard’s intense use of colours and modern compositions transformed painting in the first part of the 20th century
The exhibition will bring together around 100 of his greatest works from museums and private collections around the world, in collaboration with Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen and Kunstforum Wien.
The CC Land Exhibition Tate Modern 23rd January – 6th May 2019
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