Les Nabis et le décor

Bonnard, Vuillard, Maurice Denis…

Exhibition from 13 March from 30 June 2019

True pioneers of modern décor, Bonnard, Vuillard, Maurice Denis, Sérusier, Ranson and Vallotton defended an art relating directly to life. They created original, joyous and rhythmic works, intended to decorate contemporary interiors in reaction against the aesthetics of historical pastiche that were in vogue at the end of the 19th century.
The decorative arts of the Nabis are a specific experience of total art, based on breaking down the boundaries of technique.
Responding most often to commissions from friends and patrons close to the group, they took themes familiar to artists such as the association of women with nature, inwardness and spirituality. Driven by the desire to create an art accessible to all, the Nabis innovated in the fields of tapestry, wallpaper, stained glass and ceramics. Their creations, remaining as prototypes, are part of the movement of decorative renewal defended and popularised in France by Siegfried Bing. Most of the decorative panels of the Nabis have been dispersed over time.
The ambition of the exhibition is to reconstitute as completely as possible some of the major collections they produced. But it has become impossible to show their original hangings in the absence of documents or photographs.

Scenography: Hubert Le Gall
Graphics: Jean-Paul Camargo
Lighting: Philippe Collet

This exhibition is organised by the Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais and the Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, Paris.

Download the booklet of the exhibition

Opening Hours

13 march – 30 june 2019

open every day from 10:30 am to 7 pm
open late every monday until 10 pm
open on all public holidays except 1 may
(start of evacuation of the rooms 15 minutes before closing time)

Book your ticket !

Édouard Vuillard, Jardins publics : La Promenade (détail), 1894, Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts, The Robert Lee Blaffer Memorial Collection © The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston