What was the Nabis movement?

The Nabis (Hebrew for "prophets") formed in 1890 around Maurice Denis and others who admired Gauguin and Cézanne. They believed paintings should be symbolic expressions rather than naturalistic depictions.

Where can I see Maurice Denis's work?

Major collections exist at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Musée Maurice Denis in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the artist's former home. This particular painting is in a private collection.

What other art forms did Denis work in?

Denis worked in decorative arts including stained glass, ceramics, carpets, and theater design. He also decorated church interiors as part of his mission to revive sacred art.

Where Is Mystic Allegory or Tea? Museum Location

Maurice Denis combined spiritual symbolism with everyday scenes throughout his career as a leading member of the Nabis movement. The Nabis, meaning "prophets" in Hebrew, believed art should be a synthesis of metaphors and symbols rather than mere depiction of nature.

Denis famously declared that "a picture, before being a war horse, a female nude, or some anecdote, is essentially a flat surface covered with colors in a particular order." This theoretical position influenced Cubism, Fauvism, and abstract art. His paintings often featured allegorical figures and decorative elements drawn from sources like medieval stained glass and Byzantine mosaics.

A devout Roman Catholic, Denis frequently painted biblical subjects in modern settings. He founded the Ateliers d'Art Sacré after World War I and worked to revive religious art. This particular work remains in a private collection, though major Denis paintings can be found at the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée Maurice Denis in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, his former home.