Maurice Denis

Maurice Denis (25 November 1870 – 13 November 1943) was a French artist. He was associated with Les Nabis (from the Hebrew word n'vi'ím (נְבִיאִים), meaning prophets), a group of young French artists active in Paris from 1888 until 1900. Members included Pierre Bonnard, Maurice Denis, Paul Ranson, Édouard Vuillard, Ker-Xavier Roussel, Félix Vallotton, Paul Sérusier and Auguste Cazalis.

“Remember that a picture, before being a battle horse, a female nude or some sort of anecdote, is essentially a flat surface covered with colors assembled in a certain order” - so went Maurice Denis's manifesto for Les Nabis,

His theories contributed to the foundations of cubism, fauvism, and abstract art. Following the First World War, he founded the Ateliers d'Art Sacré (Workshops of Sacred Art), decorated the interiors of churches, and worked for a revival of religious art.