Maurice Denis
Source: Wikipedia: Maurice Denis
Arts & Music • Historical Archive • 🇫🇷 French Third Republic • 2 views

Maurice Denis 🇫🇷

Maurice Denis (Known as "The Nabi of Beautiful Icons")
[]
Born Nov 25, 1870 🇫🇷 Granville, French Third Republic
Passed Away Nov 13, 1943 Paris, German-occupied France
Lifespan 72 years old
2 views
Notice / Correction
"Remember that a picture, before being a war horse, a female nude, or some anecdote, is essentially a flat surface covered with colors assembled in a certain order."

Archival Overview

Theoretician of Les Nabis whose 1890 definition of a painting ('a flat surface covered with colors assembled in a certain order') became the foundation of 20th-century abstract art theory.

Biographical Record

Maurice Denis (1870–1943 CE) formulated the theoretical manifesto of modern art at age twenty, launching the Nabis movement alongside Sérusier and Bonnard.

He dedicated his life to revitalizing Christian sacred art, founding the Workshops of Sacred Art (Ateliers d'art sacré) and painting ethereal murals celebrating spiritual love and classical myth.

Key Life Milestones

1890

Publication of the Nabis Manifesto in Art et Critique

Penned his immortal definition of a painting as a flat surface of arranged colors, cited by every modern art movement.

1900

Homage to Cézanne (Hommage à Cézanne)

Painted the Nabis painters and Odilon Redon gathered around a still life by Paul Cézanne in Vollard's gallery.

Memorial Guestbook & Tributes

0 messages recorded

Leave a Respectful Tribute

No tributes recorded yet. Be the first to leave a message in honor of Maurice Denis.

Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Old Cemetery of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
GPS: 48.8989, 2.0939
View on Memory Atlas
Archival Standards PastLegacies adheres to strict neutral biographical guidelines and legal standards of remembrance. Next-of-kin may request modifications or removal at any time via our expedited process.