Click here to see a larger image

Bonnard became a leader of the avant-garde of his day. After training part time in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and at the Académie Julian, Bonnard joined a group of artists who called themselves the Nabis (Hebrew for "prophets"). The Nabis manipulated color and composition to evoke a feeling or a mood, in contrast with impressionists painters, who attempted to capture the transitory effects of light and color.

Bonnard's portrait of Pierre Monteux, one of the leading musical conductors of the twentieth century, emphasizes the figure's massiveness. Notice how the figure fills the entire canvas. Look closely at Bonnard's use of patterns--an interior with drapery and textiles of varied colors and stripes--and at the absence of light or shadow, which bring the foreground and background together and flatten the work.

The Portrait of Pierre Monteux hangs in the Maxwell H. and Muriel Gluck Gallery, which opened to the public in November 1985. The gallery houses works from the Gluck's private collection, which was generously bequeathed to the Museum in 1982. During the Eisenhower administration, Maxwell Gluck served as U.S. Ambassador to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Muriel Gluck founded and supports numerous art education programs in San Diego and continues to serve on the Museum's board of trustees.

Back to Top