Director: Martin Provost
Long before she became the woman painted again and again by one of France's best-known artists, Marthe de Méligny was a stranger he met by chance and never quite let go of.
What is Bonnard, Pierre and Marthe about?
"Bonnard, Pierre and Marthe" traces the decades-long relationship between painter Pierre Bonnard and Marthe de Méligny, a woman who presented herself as an aristocrat and ended up shaping both his life and his art far beyond what either of them likely expected. From their first meeting onward, she becomes far more than a passing model, appearing in over a third of his paintings and remaining a constant presence through his most productive years. The film follows their unconventional partnership, built on its own private rules rather than the social expectations of their era, and traces the mystery that surrounded their bond right up to Marthe's death. Rather than presenting a straightforward biography, it stays close to the push and pull between two people whose creative and personal lives became almost impossible to separate. The film draws on real history, filling in the private corners of a story most people know only through Bonnard's paintings.
Cast & crew
Vincent Macaigne and Cécile de France lead as Pierre Bonnard and Marthe de Méligny, with Anouk Grinberg, Stacy Martin, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, André Marcon, Philippe Richardin, and César Domboy in supporting roles. Martin Provost directs, continuing the interest in artists' private lives he's explored in earlier work.
Context & significance
A 2024 Belgian-French production running 122 minutes, the film sits in the romance and history genres and is based on a true story. It leans on real biographical detail about Bonnard's career and his decades with Marthe, using their relationship as a way into a broader portrait of artistic life in early twentieth-century France.
Where & how to watch
"Bonnard, Pierre and Marthe" is available on K-Time with a free account login, on a platform designed around a Farsi interface for Persian-speaking viewers. Reading this page requires no sign-up; watching the film itself just needs that quick, no-cost account.