Chronology

1868, April 26 Born in Lille, to an employé of the textile industry

1870 Due to the Franco Prussian War, the family moved to St. Aignan (near Rouen)

1871 The family moved to Loos (near Lille) and prospered economically

1877 3ò4mile attended Coll?ge de la Monnaie at Lille whilst staying with his maternal grandmother, Sophie Bodin-Lallement.

1878 The family moved to Paris, 3ò4mile attended L'institut des Francs-Bourgeois (later named Institution Nollet), but also enrolled at 3ò4cole des arts décoratifs.

1879-1880 Due to the children's poor health, the family moved to Nogent-sur-Marne, but returned to Paris in autumn

1881 3ò4mile started to study at Coll?ge Sainte Barbe at Fontenay-aux-Roses.

1884–1886 Stayed near Asni?res (a fashionable suburb of Paris), argued with his father for wanting to become a painter, and entered the well-known atelier of Fernand Cormon in September.
 Toulouse-Lautrec and Anquetin introduced young Bernard to Montmartre's night life.

1886 Financially supported by the parents, Bernard went on a foot trip to Brittany. Recommended by Claude-3ò4mile Schuffenecker, whom he had met at Concarneau, he went to Pont-Aven in July, to see Paul Gauguin who however at first did not recognize Bernard's talent. Returned home after two months, he moved in with his parents, visited the exhibition of the Société des Artistes Indépendants and saw the work of Georges Seurat and Paul Signac.

1887 When his parents rented a house in Asni?res, 3ò4mile was able to exhibit pointillist works there, early in the year, and was invited by Seurat to visit his studio. Bernard and Anquetin however soon decided to break with Neo-Impressionism and go their own way, painting flat colour areas but strong black contours. At Tanguy's, Bernard met Lucien Pissarro and Charles Angrand at that time. In spring, he returned to Brittany and stayed two months in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, where he created stained glass windows. After his grandmother started to live with the family, they moved to a bigger house and built a studio for 3ò4mile.
 

1889 Contributes to the Volpini Exhibition in the Grand Café des Beaux-Arts, just opposite the Pavilion des Beaux-Arts.

1891 When, at a banquet in honor of Jean Moréas, Gauguin was hailed by Aurier as the leader of Symbolism and initiator of the Synthetist movement, Bernard felt deeply offended and broke with Gauguin.
 Bernard participates in the first Nabi exhibition.

1893 Goes abroad. He visits Turkey and Egypt.  

1894 Married Hannénah Saati, of Libanese descent, on July 1 and started living like an Arab.

1895 Bernard's first son, Otse, was born.

1896 For their difficult financial situation, the family moved to Spain, reaching Granada in August and Seville in December.

1897 In spring, Bernard met Spanish painter Zuloaga; after the birth of a second son, Fortunato, they moved back to Cairo to live with Hannénah's family. Both sons died of tuberculosis, soon later.

1898 Birth of a third son, Odilon. Bernard participated at the Salon de l'Art Religieux and published the firstone of 17 volumes of poetry. Besides, he started a major paintings series on life in Cairo.

1900 Travelling towards France, the family stayed in Venice for a while before returning to Cairo due to Odilo's illness. The child died there shortly after arrival, but a fourth son, Antoine, was born same year.

1901 Prompted by de La Rochefoucauld, Bernard went to France for three months, exhibited in Ambroise Vollard's gallery and met (not for the first time) poet and theatre manager Paul Fort, becoming involved with his sister Andrée who would accompany him to Cairo.

1902 Daughter Ir?ne, born to Hannénah.

1903 After founding Le Parnasse, a short-lived review publication, Bernard left Cairo for Venice in March, accompanied by Andrée, Ir?ne and Antoine. He returned to Cairo in October to definitely separate from Hannénah and went back to France, taking both children with him.

1904 On the way to Paris, Bernard stopped for a visit at Cézanne's place in Aix-en-Provence, then decided to establish his more-or-less permanent home in Tonnerre-sur-Yonne (Bourgogne), whilst spending the winter in Naples.

19053ƒ41912 On return from Naples, Bernard met Cézanne again. La Rénovation esthétique was founded to propagate increasingly reactionary Catholic points of view. He from now mostly travelled between Paris and Tonnerre and produced a vast output of art critic's essays, poems, plays, book illustrations, but also paintings (towards 1910, mainly landscapes). Around 1907, he visited Andries Bonger in Holland and portrayed him and his wife. In 1908, he exposed three of his paintings at the Post-Impressionist exhibition in Prague, having been invited by Milos Martin, who admired his art. In 1910, he had a whole room in the Musée Baudouin (Paris) to exhibit his Orientalist work. At that time, working on his career, he was hardly concerned about Andrée and the children. In December 1911, heirship after his father's death allowed him a better life.

19133ƒ41921 Bernard showed some of his woodcuts at the Circle des librairies, in 1913. Having fallen in love with Persian Arm?ne Ohanian, he lived with her in Villeneuve-les-Avignon for three years, where he decorated the church with frescoes. Besides, created woodcuts for Les Amours de Ronsard, Les Fleurs du mal, and François Villon. After Arm?ne had left him, he stayed in Tonnerre until the end of the war; in 1919, returned to Paris and lived with one Mme Duchàteau and Ir?ne.

1922-1925 Stayed in Italy, where he was well respected: Exhibited at the 1922 Venice Biennale and at the 1923 Rome Biennale. Major paintings created during that period were Le Christ guérissant les malades, Les Héros et les dieux, Le Doute, La Construction du temple. Le Cycle humain is to be mentioned .

1927 Having left Italy by the end of 1925, he travelled the Loire Valley, gave lectures and organized conferences on art.

1937 Death of his wife Hannénah

1938 Bernard marries Andrée Fort, but prefers living alone in Pont-Aven until 1940.

1941, April 16  Bernard dies in his studio at 15, quai Bourbon in Paris; Maurice Denis delivered an oration, following his funeral at Søle-Saint-Louis.