Bold 1968 black-and-white nude lithograph by Alain Bonnefoit (French, b. 1937), signed and numbered 18/26, 22×30 inches—an iconic Montmartre figurative work blending sumi-e brush energy with modern French sensual minimalism.
This striking lithograph presents a reclining nude in a masterful economy of line and mass: the figure is defined by a few continuous, confident contours while deep black fields—laid down like sweeping brushloads—create the chair, shadow, and negative space that sculpt the body’s curve. The result feels simultaneously modern and timeless: an intimate figurative subject rendered with a graphic immediacy that recalls ink painting (sumi-e) while remaining distinctly European in its poised sensuality.
Style & period: Dated 1968, the work sits in the heart of Bonnefoit’s early-to-mature figurative language—clean contour drawing paired with dramatic tonal blocks. The aesthetic is both lyrical and assertive: the white of the paper becomes light on skin, and the black passages act as stage and atmosphere.
Medium & technique: As a lithograph, the image preserves a hand-drawn spontaneity—fine contour lines and expressive “brush-like” blacks that suggest either tusche (greasy ink wash) or crayon textures transferred to stone/plate. The broad black areas have the character of painterly gestures, while the contour line remains elegant and controlled.
Signature & edition: The print is signed and dated (’68) and numbered 18/26, indicating a very small edition. The edition size is a strong collector point: a 26-print run is notably limited for Bonnefoit, whose later lithographs are often issued in larger editions.
Inspiration / story behind the work: Bonnefoit is celebrated for elevating the nude into a study of presence rather than narrative—less about setting, more about the body as form, mood, and quiet psychology. Here, the pose reads introspective and contained: the head turned inward, the body held in a protective curve, the surrounding blacks functioning like a private space.
Alain Bonnefoit (often listed as Alain Pierre Bonnefoit) is a French painter, engraver, and sculptor born in 1937 in Montmartre, Paris, where he is widely noted as living and working. He is especially recognized for his refined, sensual figurative art—most famously, his portrayals of the female nude—rendered with exceptional draftsmanship and a distinctive balance of line, tone, and atmosphere.
Bonnefoit began formal training at a young age, entering Paris’s École des Arts Appliqués and the École des Beaux-Arts, institutions that grounded him in classical technique and disciplined drawing. He later continued his studies in Brussels, enrolling in engraving and sculpture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, expanding his technical fluency across printmaking and three-dimensional form.
Across the second half of the 20th century and into the present market, Bonnefoit has maintained an active international exhibition presence, with works shown in museums and galleries across Europe and abroad. His practice is often associated with an elegant modern figurative tradition: rather than heavy narrative, he emphasizes the expressive power of posture, contour, and controlled tonal contrast. In prints and works on paper, this approach can read as deceptively simple—minimal means, maximum sensual and psychological impact.
Bonnefoit’s creative process is frequently described as drawing-led. Even when working in paint, he treats the figure as something “built” through line—then deepened through shadow, mass, and the emotional temperature of the surrounding space. His lithographs are particularly prized because they preserve the immediacy of the hand while translating it into a collectible, editioned format.
Alain Bonnefoit (French, b. 1937), Untitled (Female Nude, Sumi-e Style), 1968, lithograph, signed & dated, numbered 18/26, sheet 22×30 in; bold modern figurative nude with expressive black brushwork.
This certifies that the accompanying artwork is an original lithograph by Alain Bonnefoit (French, b. 1937), dated 1968, and issued in a limited edition numbered 18/26. The work measures 22×30 inches and bears the artist’s handwritten signature with date and edition number, consistent with authenticated Bonnefoit lithographs from the period. Valuation reflects current market demand for signed, dated Bonnefoit nudes—especially small-edition impressions—considering condition and provenance.
Alain Bonnefoit studio / publisher release → private collection(s), Europe → Mitch Morse Gallery (acquired via Europe & NYC, United States) → Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current owner)
Bold 1968 black-and-white nude lithograph by Alain Bonnefoit (French, b. 1937), signed and numbered 18/26, 22×30 inches—an iconic Montmartre figurative work blending sumi-e brush energy with modern French sensual minimalism.
This striking lithograph presents a reclining nude in a masterful economy of line and mass: the figure is defined by a few continuous, confident contours while deep black fields—laid down like sweeping brushloads—create the chair, shadow, and negative space that sculpt the body’s curve. The result feels simultaneously modern and timeless: an intimate figurative subject rendered with a graphic immediacy that recalls ink painting (sumi-e) while remaining distinctly European in its poised sensuality.
Style & period: Dated 1968, the work sits in the heart of Bonnefoit’s early-to-mature figurative language—clean contour drawing paired with dramatic tonal blocks. The aesthetic is both lyrical and assertive: the white of the paper becomes light on skin, and the black passages act as stage and atmosphere.
Medium & technique: As a lithograph, the image preserves a hand-drawn spontaneity—fine contour lines and expressive “brush-like” blacks that suggest either tusche (greasy ink wash) or crayon textures transferred to stone/plate. The broad black areas have the character of painterly gestures, while the contour line remains elegant and controlled.
Signature & edition: The print is signed and dated (’68) and numbered 18/26, indicating a very small edition. The edition size is a strong collector point: a 26-print run is notably limited for Bonnefoit, whose later lithographs are often issued in larger editions.
Inspiration / story behind the work: Bonnefoit is celebrated for elevating the nude into a study of presence rather than narrative—less about setting, more about the body as form, mood, and quiet psychology. Here, the pose reads introspective and contained: the head turned inward, the body held in a protective curve, the surrounding blacks functioning like a private space.
Alain Bonnefoit (often listed as Alain Pierre Bonnefoit) is a French painter, engraver, and sculptor born in 1937 in Montmartre, Paris, where he is widely noted as living and working. He is especially recognized for his refined, sensual figurative art—most famously, his portrayals of the female nude—rendered with exceptional draftsmanship and a distinctive balance of line, tone, and atmosphere.
Bonnefoit began formal training at a young age, entering Paris’s École des Arts Appliqués and the École des Beaux-Arts, institutions that grounded him in classical technique and disciplined drawing. He later continued his studies in Brussels, enrolling in engraving and sculpture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, expanding his technical fluency across printmaking and three-dimensional form.
Across the second half of the 20th century and into the present market, Bonnefoit has maintained an active international exhibition presence, with works shown in museums and galleries across Europe and abroad. His practice is often associated with an elegant modern figurative tradition: rather than heavy narrative, he emphasizes the expressive power of posture, contour, and controlled tonal contrast. In prints and works on paper, this approach can read as deceptively simple—minimal means, maximum sensual and psychological impact.
Bonnefoit’s creative process is frequently described as drawing-led. Even when working in paint, he treats the figure as something “built” through line—then deepened through shadow, mass, and the emotional temperature of the surrounding space. His lithographs are particularly prized because they preserve the immediacy of the hand while translating it into a collectible, editioned format.
Alain Bonnefoit (French, b. 1937), Untitled (Female Nude, Sumi-e Style), 1968, lithograph, signed & dated, numbered 18/26, sheet 22×30 in; bold modern figurative nude with expressive black brushwork.
This certifies that the accompanying artwork is an original lithograph by Alain Bonnefoit (French, b. 1937), dated 1968, and issued in a limited edition numbered 18/26. The work measures 22×30 inches and bears the artist’s handwritten signature with date and edition number, consistent with authenticated Bonnefoit lithographs from the period. Valuation reflects current market demand for signed, dated Bonnefoit nudes—especially small-edition impressions—considering condition and provenance.
Alain Bonnefoit studio / publisher release → private collection(s), Europe → Mitch Morse Gallery (acquired via Europe & NYC, United States) → Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current owner)
