Les Nabis, 1888–1900

For those who missed 'The Nabis' at Frieze Masters 2024, Waddington Custot are offering a second opportunity to experience these important works together in London. By appointment only in the private viewing rooms of the gallery, 'Les Nabis, 1888–1900' includes works by each of the seven principal Nabi artists: Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947), Maurice Denis (1870–1943), Paul Ranson (1864–1909), Ker-Xavier Roussel (1867–1944), Paul Sérusier (1864–1927), Félix Vallotton (1865–1925) and Édouard Vuillard (1868–1940), shown alongside works by a selected few artists in their orbit, in an acknowledgment of the wider, more collaborative nature of this group than typically recorded by art historians. 

Key works include Felix Vallotton's oil on canvas ‘Baigneuses au clair de lune’, 1893, a nocturnal scene of bathers in moonlight stands out for its sense of mystery and introspection, and Paul Sérusier's ‘Bretonne allaitant’, 1892, which captures the untouched, raw beauty of the Brittany region and a scene in the rural life of its inhabitants. Sérusier spearheaded the foundation of the artistic brotherhood after spending time in Brittany with Paul Gauguin over the late summer of 1888. Sérusier returned to Brittany several times over the next few summers, and his painting ‘Bretonne allaitant’, 1892 provides an important reminder of this critical relationship and the origin story of the group. The Nabis, with a plurality of interests and approaches, created not only pictures but also graphic, theatrical, interior and industrial designs, exploring their ideas from many angles. Maurice Denis created many studies for his designs of this kind, including ‘Au pont du Nord, un bal était donné (étude pour un abat-jour)’, 1894, on view here, which was selected for shows at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam and the Grand Palais in Paris. 

This reappraisal at Frieze Masters of Nabi painters is timely, against the backdrop of a decisive move among today’s painters toward figurative painting. Peter Doig, Mamma Andersson, David Hockney and Ian Davenport have explicitly referenced their influence by members of the group, while a flurry of recent scholarship around the Nabis has revealed their enduringly modern approach that goes beyond their contribution to decorative art.  

For an appointment to visit these works in person, please be in touch with the gallery directly. 

mail@waddingtoncustot.com 

44 (0)20 7851 2200