The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Fruit and Fruit Dishes

c. 1930

Pierre Bonnard

(French, 1867–1947)

France, 20th century

oil on canvas

Unframed: 59.9 x 70.1 cm (23 9/16 x 27 5/8 in.)

Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.100

Location: not on view

Did You Know?

As many of Bonnard's works concentrate on domestic life, family pets can often be found peeking out from corners of his compositions and are sometimes even featured as central figures.

Description

Pierre Bonnard, a founding member of the Nabis, is known for his intimate scenes of everyday life filled with voluptuous color. After the Nabis dissolved in 1900, he remained committed to its principles of exploring abstract color and design, albeit in a more personal manner informed by his passion for modernist methods of pictorial construction. In Fruit and Fruit Dishes, the table is tilted upward toward the viewer and tightly framed around the edges to focus attention on the luscious banquet of oranges, cherries, perhaps a sliced pastry, and other delights set in gleaming ceramics. The fruits are so inviting that one hardly notices the humorous cat and dog along the bottom edge.

Joe Hessel [1859-1942] Paris, France
?–1971
Daniel Varenne, Paris, France, sold to Walter Feilchenfeldt
1971–1974
(Walter Feilchenfeldt, Zurich, Switzerland, April 10, 1974, sold to Mr. and Mrs. Neison Harris)
1974–2005
Mr. Neison Harris [1915-2001] and Mrs. Neison Harris [1917-2005] Chicago, IL, by descent and consigned to Christie's NY
2005
(Christie's, New York, NY, November 1, 2005, lot 9, sold to Acquavella Galleries)
2005
(Acquavella Galleries, New York, NY, sold to Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley)
2005–2020
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
2020–
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Provenance Footnotes
1 According to Jean Dauberville and Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue Raisonné de l’Œuvre Peint (Paris, 1966), vol. III, p. 174, cat. no. 1206.
2 Many thanks to the Walter Feichenfeldt Archives for this information. Much of the information is also published in the Christie’s 2005 sale catalogue.
3 According to Kelly Devine Thomas, “Runaway Imp/Mod Sales: Quality Works Fuel High Prices,” ARTnews (November 22, 2005), this painting was purchased by the Acquavella Galleries at the Christie’s sale.
Dauberville, Jean, and Henry Dauberville. Bonnard, Catalogue Raisonné de l'Oeuvre Peint. Paris, France: J. et H. Bernheim, 1966. Reproduced: Vol. III, p. 174, no. 1206
Feilchenfeldt, Marianne, and Walter Feilchenfeldt. 25 Jahre Feilchenfeldt in Zürich: 1948-1973. Zurich, Switzerland: [publisher not identified], 1972. Reproduced: no. 24
Newman, Sasha M. Bonnard: The Late Paintings. Washington, DC.: Phillips Collection, 1984. Mentioned & Reproduced: P. 190-191, no. 42
Elderfield, John and Sarah Whitfield. Bonnard. London, United Kingdom: Tate Gallery Pub, 1998. Mentioned & Reproduced: P. 172-173, no. 60
Cahn, Isabelle. Bonnard. Paris: Citadelles & Mazenod, 2023. Reproduced: p. 250-251, 276, no. 251
Bonnard's Worlds. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX (organizer) (November 5, 2023-January 28, 2024); The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC (March 2-June 2, 2024).
Impressionism to Modernism: The Keithley Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 11, 2022-January 8, 2023).
Bonnard. Tate Gallery, London, United Kingdom (February 12-May 17, 1998); The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY (June 17-October 13, 1998).
Bonnard: The Late Paintings. Musee National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France (February 23-May 21, 1984); Phillips Collection, Washington DC (June 9-August 25, 1984); Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX (September 13-November 11, 1984).
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Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.100