La chambre rose (1914)

Édouard Vuillard prints bring the warmth and quiet intimacy of everyday life into your home: his mother sewing by lamplight, friends talking in a patterned room, children playing in a Paris park. Vuillard was a member of the Nabis, the group of young painters inspired by Gauguin and Japanese prints, and his interiors turn wallpaper, fabric and figures into a rich pattern of colour. Our collection of fine art prints includes his interiors, public gardens, portraits and still lifes.

About Édouard Vuillard

Jean-Édouard Vuillard was born in Cuiseaux on 11 November 1868. His father was a retired naval captain turned tax collector and his mother a seamstress. In 1877 the family moved to Paris, where his mother ran a sewing workshop. At the Lycée Condorcet he met Ker-Xavier Roussel, later his brother-in-law, and Maurice Denis.

In 1885 he decided to become an artist, studying with Roussel in Diogène Maillart's studio and at the Académie Julian. Late in 1889 he joined the Nabis, with Paul Sérusier, Pierre Bonnard, Maurice Denis and Paul Ranson, who believed decorative art was as important as easel painting. He showed with them from 1891, and through his work for the theatre met the Natanson brothers, founders of La Revue Blanche, who commissioned his first decorative panels in 1892.

After the Nabis broke up around 1900, Vuillard turned to a more realistic style and became a sought-after painter of portraits and interiors of Parisian society. He lived with his mother for much of his life and painted her many times. In 1938 he was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts and given a major retrospective. He died at La Baule on 21 June 1940.

Style and Subjects

Vuillard's early interiors, influenced by Japanese prints, flatten space into patches of pattern and colour, so that figures almost merge with wallpaper, tablecloths and dresses. His colours are warm and muted: browns, ochres, plum and soft greens.

After 1900 his interiors and portraits become more realistic and spacious, but keep their sense of intimacy. He also painted parks, gardens and still lifes, and made decorative panels, theatre sets, prints and designs for stained glass and ceramics.

Famous Works

• The Seamstress (1893). A woman sewing in his mother's workshop, a favourite subject.
• Interior, Mother and Sister of the Artist (1893), Museum of Modern Art, New York. His mother and sister in a room alive with pattern.
• Public Gardens (1894). Children and nurses under the trees, from his famous decorative panels.
• Woman in a Striped Dress (1895), National Gallery of Art, Washington. A woman in a boldly striped dress among flowers.
• The Dressmaker (1895). Seamstresses at work in his mother's studio.
• La femme au fauteuil (Misia and Thadée Natanson) (1896). His friends the Natansons in their apartment.
• The Living Room with Three Lamps, rue Saint-Florentin (1899), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. A softly lit Paris interior.

Decorating with Vuillard Prints

Vuillard's warm, patterned interiors suit living rooms, bedrooms and reading corners, especially with textiles, wood and warm, muted colours. His seamstresses and domestic scenes, such as The Artist's Mother Opening a Door, have a cosy, quiet mood.

His park scenes bring a breath of air to a hallway or dining room, and his flower still lifes, such as The Artist's Paint Box and Moss Roses, suit a kitchen or study.

FAQ

What art movement was Édouard Vuillard part of?

From 1891 to 1900 Vuillard was a member of the Nabis, a group of Post-Impressionist painters inspired by Gauguin and Japanese prints. He is often described as an "intimist" for his quiet domestic interiors.

Who were the Nabis?

The Nabis ("prophets") were a group of young French painters, including Vuillard, Pierre Bonnard, Maurice Denis and Paul Sérusier, who used flat areas of colour and believed decorative art was as important as easel painting.

Why did Vuillard paint seamstresses?

His mother ran a dressmaking workshop, and he painted many scenes of the seamstresses at work, along with his mother and sister.

Who were the Natansons?

Alexandre and Thadée Natanson founded La Revue Blanche, a cultural magazine. They became Vuillard's friends and patrons and commissioned decorative panels from him.

Where can I see Vuillard's paintings?

Works are in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Hermitage.

Related Artists

• Pierre Bonnard: fellow Nabi and close friend
• Maurice Denis: fellow Nabi and school friend
• Ker-Xavier Roussel: fellow Nabi and his brother-in-law
• Paul Gauguin: painter whose ideas inspired the Nabis
• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: friend he painted with the Natansons