1930 Etching on Paper 9"x12" unframed paper size Illustration for La Vie de Sainte-Monique (The Life of Saint Monica), a book by Ambroise Vollard published in 1930. Vollard was a Parisian artist, avant-garde art merchant, and Bonnard's patron. Initialed "PB" on the plate. Stamped with the Bassett collection estate stamp on the back. Good vintage condition. From the estate of Edyth and Phillip Basset Pierre Bonnard was a French painter, illustrator, and printmaker, and a leading figure in the transition from impressionism to modernism. Bonnard’s work is characterized by his playful use of color and brushstrokes, as well has his implementation of decorative strategies and motifs. Joyful, romantic, and tinged with melancholy, Bonnard’s work has been widely praised for its capture of the essence of a life well lived, while also ever so gently nodding to its impermanence. This is especially evident in his later work, which featured intimate interior scenes, whose soft impressionist brushstrokes evoke the sensation of a distant, yet pleasant memory. He was a founding member of the Post-Impressionist group of avant-garde artists know as Les Nabis (1888-1900) alongside notable painters such as Maurice Denis, Paul Ranson, Édouard Vuillard, Ker-Xavier Roussel, Félix Vallotton, and Paul Sérusier. A retrospective of his prolific body of work was recently on view at SFMoma in 2018.