The Luxembourg Museum, just minutes from our hotels, has a new exhibition – the first in France on the subject – showing the superb decorative arts of the Nabis.

At the end of the 1880s, inspired by the English Arts & Crafts movement, Spanish modernismo and early Belgian art nouveau, a group of artists fascinated by the work of Gaugin started exploring how they could combine painting with interior design.

Artists like Bonnard, Maurice Denis, Sérusier, Vuillard and Ranson set about creating all manner of objects decorated with their work – screens, fans, wallpaper, ceramics and even stained-glass windows.

By introducing the beauty of art into everyday objects, they were defending a joyous, colourful view of life in contrast to the sobriety of the era.

In all, the work of thirteen artists is on show in the exhibition, with special loans by five American museums, two Japanese museums, the Musée d’Orsay and more.

Around the exhibition there are a number of activities, including:

— a presentation conference on 21st March at the 3 Luxembourg cinema (here) (free, but you have to print out the invitation here)

— a study day at the Musée d’Orsay, call “From painting to interior design. Abolishing boundaries?” on 28th March

— a conference on 4th April with the scenographer of the exhibition, Hubert Le Gall

— a sketching evening on Tuesday 9th April (with special late opening until 9pm)

— a conference about Parisian interiors at the time of Les Nabis, on 11th April

— another conference on 16th May about Les Nabis and music, and

— a special evening event until 10pm, on Friday 21st June for the Fête de la Musique, helmed by the label Tsuku Boshi.

A catalogue of the exhibition is also available (192 pages, 250 illustrations, 39€ here at amazon.fr).

The exhibition Les Nabis and the Decorative Arts – Bonnard, Vuillard, Maurice Denis… is at the Luxembourg Museum (here) from 13th March – 20th June 2019

Open every day from 10am-7pm (10pm Mondays)

Admission: 13€ / 9€

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