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Maurice Denis prints bring the soft colours, flowing lines and quiet spirituality of the Nabis into your home. Denis was a French painter, decorator and writer, the leading theorist of the Nabis group and one of the first to declare that a picture is above all a flat surface covered with colours. Our collection of fine art prints includes his Amour lithographs, family scenes, Breton beaches and bathers, Italian landscapes, religious pictures and illustrations for Verlaine.

About Maurice Denis

Maurice Denis was born in Granville, Normandy, on 25 November 1870, the only child of a railway clerk and a seamstress, and grew up in Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris. From an early age he loved religion and art; at fifteen he wrote in his journal that he wanted to become a Christian painter. He admired Fra Angelico and, from 1887, Puvis de Chavannes. In 1888 he studied at the Académie Julian, where he met Paul Sérusier and Pierre Bonnard, and also passed the entrance exam for the École des Beaux-Arts.

With Sérusier, Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard, Paul Ranson and Ker-Xavier Roussel he formed the Nabis in 1890, inspired by the bold colour of Paul Gauguin. That year he published the essay with its famous opening: remember that a painting, before being a war horse, a nude or an anecdote, is essentially a flat surface covered with colours assembled in a certain order. In 1893 he married Marthe Meurier, who appears in many of his paintings.

Denis decorated homes for patrons such as Ernest Chausson and the Russian collector Ivan Morozov, for whom he painted The History of Psyche, and the dome of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. After Marthe's death in 1919 he founded the Ateliers d'Art Sacré to revive religious art and decorated many churches. He lived for years at the Prieuré in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, now the Musée Maurice Denis, and died in Paris on 13 November 1943 after being hit by a lorry.

Style and Subjects

Denis's paintings are flat, decorative and gently glowing, with simplified shapes, flowing outlines and soft, often pastel colours. He borrowed from Gauguin, Japanese prints and the early Italian painters, and his scenes feel calm and dreamlike. Women in long dresses walk in gardens, children play, families gather, and religious stories unfold in modern settings.

After 1898 he painted bathers on the Breton beaches at Perros-Guirec, where he had a summer house, as well as Italian landscapes from many journeys. He was also a fine printmaker, and his 1899 Amour lithographs, with titles such as It Was a Religious Mystery and On the Pale Silver Sofa, are among his best-loved works.

Famous Works

• Catholic Mystery (1889), Musée Maurice Denis, Saint-Germain-en-Laye. An early religious painting from the year before the Nabis formed.
• The Orange Christ (1889). An early religious picture from the year he discovered Gauguin.
• The Muses (1893), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. A key decorative painting of his Nabis years.
• The Legend of Saint Hubert (1896–1897), Musée Maurice Denis, Saint-Germain-en-Laye. A seven-panel decoration commissioned by Denys Cochin.
• Amour (1899). A set of twelve colour lithographs published by Ambroise Vollard.
• Homage to Cézanne (1900), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. Denis and his friends, including Redon, Vuillard, Sérusier, Bonnard and the dealer Vollard, gathered around a Cézanne.
• The History of Psyche (1907–1908). Mural panels for the music room of Ivan Morozov's mansion in Moscow.

Decorating with Denis Prints

Denis's soft colours and calm mood suit bedrooms, living rooms and reading corners. The Amour lithographs, such as On the Pale Silver Sofa or Twilights Have the Softness of Old Paintings, make a lovely series along a hallway or above a bed.

His beach scenes, like Baigneuses à Perros-Guirec, bring summer light to a bathroom or sunroom. The family scenes, such as Breakfast, suit a kitchen or dining room, and the religious pictures a quiet study or a place for reflection.

FAQ

What art movement was Maurice Denis part of?

Denis was a founding member and the main theorist of the Nabis, a group of young painters formed in 1890. His work is also linked to Symbolism and, later, to a return to classical and religious art.

What is Maurice Denis's famous quote?

In 1890 he wrote that a painting, before being a war horse, a nude woman or an anecdote, is essentially a flat surface covered with colours assembled in a certain order. The phrase became one of the founding ideas of modern art.

Where can I see Maurice Denis's work?

The Musée d'Orsay in Paris holds The Muses and Homage to Cézanne. The Musée Maurice Denis in his former home, the Prieuré at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, holds many works, and his murals decorate the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and several French churches.

Who were the Nabis?

The Nabis, from the Hebrew word for prophet, were Denis, Paul Sérusier, Pierre Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard, Paul Ranson, Ker-Xavier Roussel and others. Inspired by Gauguin, they painted with flat areas of bold colour and decorative line.

Related Artists

• Paul Sérusier: fellow founder of the Nabis, whose Talisman inspired the group
• Pierre Bonnard: Nabis painter Denis met at the Académie Julian
• Édouard Vuillard: fellow Nabi and lifelong friend
• Ker-Xavier Roussel: Nabis painter who travelled with Denis in Provence in 1906
• Paul Gauguin: whose bold colour transformed Denis's art in 1889