Nude Bending Down
- Artist: Pierre Bonnard
- Date: 1923
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 571 x 527 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Nude Bending Down” by Pierre Bonnard, painted in 1923. The work is an oil on canvas that captures a quiet, almost candid moment: a woman gently wiping her leg, her body angled forward as if she’s caught mid‑gesture rather than posing deliberately. Bonnard was a key figure in the French intimiste circle, alongside artists like Edouard Vuillard, who sought to depict everyday life in intimate, domestic scenes.
In this painting, Bonnard turns his eye to his companion Marthe (Maria Boursin), who appeared frequently in his nudes and bathing studies. She used baths as a form of water therapy for a tubercular condition, so the domestic interior and the sense of relaxation feel very personal. The scene feels like a slice of private life, unhurried and warm.
The canvas measures roughly 571 × 527 mm and was bequeathed to the collection in 1968 by Mrs A.E. Pleydell‑Bouverie. It sits among works that highlight the early modern shift toward capturing interior quietness and everyday moments, offering a window into both Bonnard’s style and the intimate world he portrayed.
See it in person
Nude Bending Down is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
