Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (1833–1922) was a French painter. Born in Bayonne, he lived in Madrid from 1846 to 1853, where he received early training, before studying in Paris. His oeuvre is associated with academic art and realism.
Bonnat primarily focused on portraiture, though he also executed historical and religious compositions, such as the fresco Martyrdom of Saint Denis in the Panthéon, Paris. He drew influence from Diego Velázquez and Spanish realist painters. His extensive portrait output, numbering around 200 works, includes depictions of notable figures like Monsieur Thiers (1877) and Léon Cogniet (1879).
Beyond his painting practice, Bonnat was a professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, becoming its director in 1905. He was also an art collector and a Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur. His private collection was later bequeathed to the Bonnat Museum in Bayonne.
