Early Life, Family and Training

Born in Rome on 12 September 1926, Bona Tibertelli entered a world that would eventually shape her into a multifaceted creator. She spent her formative years in the Italian capital, a childhood marked by the quiet observations of her surroundings. This early period in Rome provided the foundation for a life defined by constant movement and artistic inquiry. By 1939, encouraged by her teachers, she moved to Modena to study at the Istituto d’arte Venturi. This transition marked her first formal step into the disciplined world of artistic training.

Family connections played a decisive role in her development. Her uncle, the painter Filippo de Pisis, was a significant figure within the Novecento italiano movement. Through his influence, Bona began to develop what she described as her "inner eye." This intuitive way of seeing was further refined during her time in Venice, where the atmosphere and her uncle's guidance helped cultivate her unique perspective. These early years were less about following a set path and more about the gradual sharpening of a personal vision.

Life and Activity in Paris

The year 1947 marked a definitive shift in her trajectory when she moved to Paris to live and work. This transition into the French capital brought her into the heart of a restless creative energy. It was during this period of establishment that she met the French poet André Pieyre de Mandiargues. The two were married on 2 February 1950 in Modena, a union that would produce a daughter and deeply influence the landscape of her personal life.

The stability of her domestic life eventually gave way to the complexities of separation in 1958. Despite this rupture, her connection to her husband remained a recurring theme in her biography. By the time they remarried in Paris on 14 March 1967, she had already secured her French citizenship. This period of her life was defined by a constant movement between personal upheaval and the pursuit of a distinct, singular vision within the Parisian art scene.

Artistic Style and Technique

The artistic evolution of Bona spanned from 1951 to 1995, marked by a restless movement between mediums. Her early practice was defined by surreal-inflected paintings, where compositions emerged from a collision of instinct and dream. These works often featured figures of ambiguous sexuality and phantasmagorical creatures, weaving together myth and metamorphosis into a personal symbolism. She sought to explore the hidden and the arcane, often using her "inner eye" to construct these dreamscapes.

As her practice shifted, she moved away from traditional painting toward more tactile, material-based explorations. This transition led to the development of collaged and sewn fabric works, as well as complex textile assemblage. A distinctive facet of this period was her creation of "ragarts"—intimate collages composed of torn and reassembled linings taken from her husband’s jackets. These works transformed discarded domestic fragments into something entirely new, blending the boundaries of gender, body, and spirit through the physical manipulation of cloth.

Notable Associates and Circles

Upon her arrival in Paris in 1947, Bona entered a dense network of avant-garde intellects. Her connection to the Surrealist movement was solidified through her associations with Jacqueline Lamba and André Breton. This proximity to the movement's core allowed her to navigate a landscape of profound creative exchange, moving within the orbits of figures such as Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington, and Dorothea Tanning. Her presence in these circles was not merely as an observer; she frequently served as a muse, lending her likeness to the works of Hélène Oettingen and Man Ray.

Her personal life and professional trajectory were deeply intertwined with the literary and artistic currents of the era. Her marriage to the writer André Pieyre de Mandiargues placed her at the center of a sophisticated intellectual milieu. This period of her life was marked by a constant dialogue between the visual and the written word. The recognition of her talent was further cemented when the art dealer Heinz Berggruen offered her the opportunity to exhibit in 1952, providing a platform for her evolving vision within the Parisian art scene.

Key Works and Publications

Bona’s creative output extended far beyond the canvas, finding a distinct voice through the written word and printmaking. Her literary endeavors were frequent, often exploring the intersections of thought and form. In 1967, she published La Cafarde through Mercure de Paris, followed by Surréalisme in 1970 via Édition Lazar-Vernet. These early forays into text were followed by La nuit dorée in 1971 and a collaborative effort in 1975 titled Parole peintes V, produced alongside Francis Ponge. This collaboration remains a notable intersection of her visual and linguistic sensibilities.

The later years of her life saw a continued commitment to personal expression through both prose and poetry. Her autobiography, Bonaventure, was released in 1977, offering a glimpse into the private architecture of her experiences. This was followed by the publication of Poèmes in 1988 by Édition Fata Morgana. In the realm of print, her work Composition surréaliste, a lithograph on Arches wove paper, demonstrates the precision of her graphic hand.

• Untitled, about 1953

Later Years and Death

Following her separation from her husband in 1958, Bona sought a radical departure from her established practice. A trip to Mexico proved to be a transformative period, electrifying her imagination and prompting a shift away from traditional painting. During these years, she moved toward the tactile and the fragmented, working with fabric, collage, and textile assemblage. These "ragarts"—composed of torn and reassembled linings from her husband’s jackets—marked a significant evolution in her creative output.

The later decades of her life remained centered in Paris. After the death of her husband, André Pieyre de Mandiargues, in 1991, she continued to exist within the city that had long been her professional and personal anchor. She passed away on 25 August 2000 in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. She was buried in the Père-Lachaise cemetery, resting beside her husband.