Léon Bonvin (1834–1866)

On this occasion, the catalogue raisonné of his entire oeuvre is published. The exhibition and the book shed new light on the life and art of Léon Bonvin. They reveal numerous yet unpublished works, scattered in public or private collections, mainly American and French.

Léon Bonvin did not enjoy the same notoriety as his half-brother, François (1817–1887), who was an esteemed realist painter in the 19^th century. Few sources and accounts about his life have come down to us. Most were written just after his early death – and often in reaction to it – before the memory of his career and work faded. Forced to spend his days working in the family inn in Vaugirard, Léon Bonvin painted his watercolours far from the gaze of the Parisian artistic and cultural milieu.

He drew his inspiration from his immediate environment: bouquets of wild flowers simply arranged in a glass, kitchen still lifes, views of the still rural and working class plain of Vaugirard. The sincerity with which he depicted the reality of his daily life led to an art of singular poetry. These intimate and truthful works will undoubtedly be a great discovery for the public of the Fondation Custodia.

Although the catalogue strives to be exhaustive, a choice of nearly seventy works by Léon Bonvin has been made for the exhibition. Almost half of this selection comes from the important collection of The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, assembled during the artist’s lifetime by the American collector William Walters (1820–1894). A number of other works also made the journey from the United States, where Léon Bonvin remains highly regarded. Closer to the Fondation Custodia, who owns six sheets of Bonvin, the Musée d’Orsay has a group of thirteen drawings by his hand. Private collectors have also shown their generosity by granting a variety of loans on this occasion.