"Léon Bonvin (1834-1866) never enjoyed the same notoriety as his half-brother, Franc̦ois (1817-1887), who was a well-regarded realist painter in the nineteenth century. The few sources that have come down to us convey the image of a misunderstood and ill-fated artist -- before his memory disappeared almost completely from view. In order to make a living, Léon Bonvin was obliged to take over his father's inn in Vaugirard. There he painted watercolours far from the gaze of the Parisian artistic and cultural milieu. He found his subjects in his immediate environment: bunches of wild flowers, still lifes, views of the still rural and working-class plain on the outskirts of Paris. The sincerity with which he depicted the reality of his everyday existence led him to an art of singular poetry. This catalogue raisonné of his work is introduced by a series of essays, the outcome of intensive research that sheds new light on the life and art of Léon Bonvin. The volume includes all of the currently known works by the artist, which are scattered throughout public and private collections, mainly in the United States of America and France. Among these are many which have never been published before." --back cover
