Denis, Maurice (1870-1943)

French painter, illustrator, and art theorist. He is chiefly important as a founder-member and spokesperson for les Nabis. His friendship with Paul Gauguin and admiration for Italian Renaissance art are reflected in his flat, decorative paintings of figures and landscapes, for example The Muses or Sacred Wood (1893) (Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris).

Denis was the author of several influential articles and books on art theory, including Théories, 1890-1910, republished 1920. He also illustrated numerous books and executed large murals on religious themes, notably that in Sainte-Marguerite du Vésinet 1901-03.