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Nabis (or Les Nabis) meaning the prophets were a group of young post-Impressionist avant-garde Parisian artists of the 1890’s that influenced the fine arts and graphic arts in France at the turn of the 20th century.

Paul Sérusier. The Talisman. 1888. Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France.

Les Nabis originated as a rebellious group of young student artists who banded together at Académie Julian in Paris, France. Paul Sérusier galvanized Les Nabis, and provided the name and disseminated the example of Paul Gauguin among them. Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, Maurice Denis, Aristide Maillol, and Paul Sérusier became the best known of the group.  The term was coined by the poet Henri Cazalis who drew a parallel between the way these painters aimed to revitalize painting and the way the ancient prophets had rejuvenated Israel. Possibly the nickname arose because “most of them wore beards, some were Jews and all were desperately earnest”.

Meeting at Académie Julian, and then at the apartment of Paul Ranson, they preached that a work of art is the end product and the visual expression of an artist’s synthesis of nature in personal aesthetic metaphors and symbols. They paved the way for the early 20th century development of abstract and non-representational art. The goal of integrating art and daily life, was a goal they had in common with most progressive artists of the time.

Nabis artists are noted for the variety of media in which they worked. In addition to the fine arts, they worked in printmaking, poster design, book illustration, textiles, furniture and theatre design.

Their emphasis on design was shared by the parallel art nouveau movement. Both groups also had close ties to the strong>Symbolists.

Les Nabis regarded themselves as initiates, and used a private vocabulary. They called a studio ergasterium, and ended their letters with the initials E.T.P.M.V. et M.P., meaning “En ta paume, mon verbe et ma paume” (”In the palm of your hand, my word and my palm.”)