Original color lithograph, "Coucher de Soleil sur la Méditerranée" (Sunset on the Mediterranean), by Pierre Bonnard.  Published in a special issue of the deluxe art review Verve immediately after the Nazis overran France in 1940.  Bonnard's lithograph was commissioned especially for this issue and was never officially reprinted and half the edition was destroyed during World War II.  This lithograph is a stunning example of Bonnard's work.  Printed in Paris by Mourlot Frères.  For over 150 years, Mourlot was almost synonymous lithography, producing work of such excellent quality that it was clear they had attained the height of printing mastery. While the studio closed in 1999, the works and the process established by its inception remain accessible via prints such as this.  Centerfold, as issued.  Presented in a handmade antiqued gold wood frame, with an inner fillet, dark conservation mat, and Tru Vue Optium Museum Acrylic® glazing.  Print size: 11 3/4 x 19 1/2 inches; overall size with frame: 18 x 25 1/2 inches.  As with all of our framed art, the frame and framing materials are new.  The print is in excellent condition, having never been displayed, and is stored in a controlled environment away from light.  A magnificent display of this artistically and historically important lithograph.
 
Pierre Bonnard (1867 – 1947) was a French painter, illustrator and printmaker, known especially for the stylized decorative qualities of his paintings, and his bold use of color.  A founding member of the Post-Impressionist group of painters called "Les Nabis" ("Prophets", a group of young French artists active in Paris from 1888 until about 1900), Bonnard was a leading figure in the transition from Impressionism to Modernism.  He painted landscapes, urban scenes, portraits and intimate domestic scenes, where the backgrounds, colors and the painting style usually took precedence over the subject.  Throughout the early 20th century, as artistic styles appeared and disappeared, Bonnard kept refining and revising his personal style, and exploring new subjects and media, but kept the distinct characteristics of his work.