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Past Exhibitions
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The Terrace, 1918. Pierre Bonnard (French, 1867–1947). Oil on canvas. The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. © 2001 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris.
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Beyond the Easel: Decorative Painting by Bonnard, Vuillard, Denis, and Roussel, 1890–1930
June 26, 2001–September 9, 2001
Special Exhibition Galleries, 2nd floor
At the turn of the last century a group of artists that included Bonnard, Denis, Roussel, Vuillard, and their circle—known as the Nabis, from the Hebrew word for prophet—took up the call to move beyond conventional easel paintings. These artists played a crucial role in the promotion of “décorations,” bold, beautiful, large-scale compositions conceived singly and in groups for specific interiors. While descended from the illustrious tradition of 18th-century French compositions of Watteau and Boucher, their pictures are strikingly avant-garde in conception. The artists initially considered small wall paintings elitist and bourgeois, whereas they intended their “décorations” to serve as a link between art and daily life. This exhibition consists of more than 80 large-scale paintings from public and private collections in Europe and the United States. It offers a rare opportunity for American audiences to see the decorative projects carried out by these artists between 1890 and 1930, including many panels that have never been shown outside France. Furthermore, great effort has been made to reunite panels that were created for specific rooms, so that the ensembles can be seen together for the first time since they were dismantled from their original interiors.
Accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue. The exhibition is made possible in part by the Janice H. Levin Fund.
The exhibition is organized by The Art Institute of Chicago in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
An indemnity has been granted by the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Educational programs have been made possible by the Georges Lurcy Charitable and Educational Trust.
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