Pierre Bonnard (French, 1867–1947), Nude in an Interior, c. 1935
Oil on canvas, 134 × 70.5 cm (52 3/4 × 27 3/4 in.), National Gallery of Art, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 2006.128.8. © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.
Pierre Bonnard belonged to a quasi-mystical group of young artists that arose about 1890 and called themselves Les Nabis (after the Hebrew word for prophet). The Nabis rejected impressionism and considered simple transcription of the appearance of the natural world unthinking and unartistic. Bonnard often captured unguarded moments such as this one and used his work to explore and experiment with color and color harmonies.