Last Chance to See Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi at the NGV

Art and culture enthusiasts, this is your final opportunity to catch the year’s hottest exhibition: Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi. Here’s why you should care…

What is it?

In a world first, Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria is showing more than 100 artworks by famed French painter Pierre Bonnard, in collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and including pieces flown in from museums and private collections across the globe. To complement the collection, the gallery enlisted acclaimed Iranian-French architect and designer India Mahdavi (the creative force behind French boutique hotel Hôtel Le Cloître and London restaurant Sketch), to create an exhibition space that’s just as vibrant and playful as Bonnard’s work. The result? An immersive and whimsical experience that transports visitors inside the quirky minds of its creators.

Why you should care

Born in 1867, Bonnard is known for his vivid use of colour and texture, combining Impressionist-style brush strokes with inspiration from traditional Japanese art forms such as ukiyo-e woodblock prints and folding screens. As one of the founding members of the young French artist group Les Nabis, Bonnard was a pioneer in the era’s creative transition away from Impressionism into more abstract and Modernist styles. His early works centred primarily on the “theatre of the everyday'' that unfolded on Parisian streets before his art evolved into intimate depictions of domestic life in the early 20th century. From there, his focus turned to landscapes (inspired by his friendship with Claude Monet) in which he used lustrous colours to portray the south of France.