La dernière croisade - L'errante - La fleur enlevée - Programme du théâtre de l'oeuvre 1896

In this rare and evocative 1896 theatre program, Pierre Bonnard—then a rising figure of the Nabis movement—brings his unique visual language to the printed stage. Commissioned by the Théâtre de l’Œuvre, one of Paris’s most avant-garde venues at the fin-de-siècle, the program accompanies a trilogy of plays: La dernière croisade, L’errante, and La fleur enlevée.

Drawn in Bonnard’s characteristic spontaneous, sketch-like lithographic style, the imagery bridges the world of illustration and fine art. The left side of the program features a sensual, introspective pair of nude figures rendered with minimal yet expressive lines—embodying the dreamlike eroticism often associated with Bonnard’s early work. On the right, Bonnard contrasts the intimate with the theatrical, depicting a dandyish man in profile, lost in whisper or reverie, his top hat and curled mustache evoking the bohemian elegance of Belle Époque Paris.

Published as part of a limited édition d’amateur by the Revue Encyclopédique Larousse, the program reflects a moment in which literature, visual art, and theatre converged in the experimental spaces of Parisian culture. The Théâtre de l’Œuvre, founded by Aurélien Lugné-Poe, was known for staging works by Maeterlinck, Ibsen, and Jarry, fostering the Symbolist and Decadent movements through its radical programming and aesthetics.

Bonnard—who would go on to become one of the most important French painters of the 20th century—here demonstrates his early mastery of graphic design. His work with typography, composition, and human form hints at the synthesis of intimacy and modernity that would define his later canvases.

This program is not merely ephemera but a window into the cultural avant-garde of 1890s Paris, where even a playbill became a canvas, and every evening at the theatre a Gesamtkunstwerk—a total artwork. Today, it is cherished by collectors for its delicate linework, historical resonance, and as a stunning example of Bonnard’s printmaking in the Nabis period.

Theater - Avant-Garde - France

The Larousse Encyclopedic Review - Aitken 82

Good condition, slight creases