I spent the afternoon at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC to see the special exhibition of Pierre Bonnard’s paintings. Founded by art collector and philanthropist Duncan Phillips in 1921, The Phillips Collection is housed in Phillips’s former home. Despite its modest size, the collection boasts exquisite examples of work created by famous modern and contemporary artists. I’ll touch upon the Bonnard exhibition in a moment, but first I want to challenge my readers with an art quiz.
Below are 6 details from paintings in the collection by famous artists with very distinctive styles. Can you identify who the artists are from these cropped images? Answers at the end of the blog! Good luck!!
Just a brief word about Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947). Bonnard was a French painter, illustrator and printmaker, known especially for the stylized decorative qualities of his paintings and his bold use of color. He is known as the Painter of Happiness. His style is hard to classify and even though I’m not the biggest fan, the special exhibit at the Phillips did give me a renewed appreciation for his work. One interesting thing I noticed when confronted with so many of his works was that in many of his paintings, the figure was almost incidental, just a little slither caught on the verge of leaving the scene.
All in all, it was definitely a worthwhile outing. The exhibition closes in June, 2024. If you’re interested in learning more about Bonnard, you might be interested in watching this comprehensive video:
And now for the answers I promised:
- Henri Matisse 2. Dominique Ingres 3. Wassily Kandinsky 4. Picasso 5. Paul Gauguin 6. Cezanne
HOW DID YOU DO?
Art and Beyond 
Hi. I noticed that five of the six paintings use similar colors.
I didn’t think of that!