Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 267 works by Maurice Denis in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Maurice Denis's most famous painting is Three Muses (1893), whose original hangs in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris. The Annunciation under the Arch with Lilies (1913) and The Seasons Series September (1891) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 267 works by Maurice Denis in our catalog, the gallery presents the 100 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
Step into a world of mystery and tranquility with "Three Muses," a captivating artwork created by Maurice Denis in 1893. This enchanting scene transports viewers to an enchanted forest, where human figures blend seamlessly with the natural environment. The composition is rich with intricate details, inviting you to lose yourself in its dreamlike atmosphere and ponder the story it tells.
The sacred scene of The Annunciation under the Arch with Lilies unfolds before us, a profound religious painting that captures a moment of divine intersection. Created by the artist Maurice Denis, this work invites a quiet contemplation of the spiritual narrative through its specific symbolic arrangement. The piece exists today within a private collection, preserved away from the public eye.
In this 1891 oil on canvas, we find ourselves invited into a moment of stillness. Three women are seated upon a bench, tucked beneath the shade of trees, sharing a quiet meal. There is a certain rhythm to their arrangement—one on the left, one in the center, and one on the right—creating a balanced, harmonious composition that feels both intentional and effortless. A few apples lie scattered near them on…
The canvas holds a quiet afternoon in 1904. A woman sits at the center, her form a soft anchor amidst a sea of pale blues and creamy whites. She cradles an infant, a small weight of life that draws the eye through the gentle curves of her silhouette. Around her, children and another woman settle into the landscape, their presence felt through the rhythmic flow of drapery and the soft,…
Two figures sit in the dim light, their profiles etched against a dark, fragmented background. One figure, likely an artist, leans toward another, perhaps a model, as they share a quiet moment over a piece of paper or canvas. The composition is tightly cropped, pulling the viewer into a small, intimate space where the air feels heavy and still. Deep blacks and charcoal tones dominate the scene, broken only by…
A profound struggle unfolds within a simplified landscape, where the weight of a biblical encounter meets the lightness of divine presence. The figures move through a space that feels both grounded and ethereal, their forms rendered in modern costume rather than ancient tradition. Light washes over the scene, a silent symbol of faith that permeates the entire atmosphere. This is a moment of intense spiritual tension, caught in the stillness…
In this 1892 composition, we find ourselves in a quiet, sun-drenched field where the air feels heavy with the scent of spring. A group of nine figures is scattered across the landscape, some seated on benches and others standing in gentle conversation. A river winds through the background, its presence marked by a solitary boat drifting in the distance. The scene is anchored by the delicate presence of flowers in…
In this 1891 oil on canvas, a dense group of figures moves across a landscape in a rhythmic, compressed arrangement. The scene depicts an annual religious procession in a village in Brittany, specifically held on the feast day of Saint-Jacques. The figures are layered closely together, creating a shallow sense of depth. At the front of the movement, young women dressed in white lead the way. They are followed by…
In this intimate oil on canvas, titled Mother and Child, the artist Maurice Denis explores the quietude of maternal connection. Painted about 1895, the work presents a scene that is both deeply personal and steeped in religious tradition. While the subject matter depicts a mother and child, the composition functions as a traditional Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary, reimagined within the domestic setting of a nineteenth-century French home.
The Supper at Emmaus is a work by Maurice Denis, executed in 1894. The artist, born in Granville, France, in 1870, remained a significant figure in the transition toward modernism until his death in 1943.
Bretonne dans une barque1892 · Musée des Beaux-Arts de Quimper
12
Dread1891 · Van Gogh Museum
13
Eva Meurier in a Green Dress1891 · Cleveland Museum of Art
14
Portrait of Abbot Vallet1889 · Musée d'Orsay
15
LA DEPECHE DE TOULOUSE, NEW YORK M MODERN ART1892
16
Nativity1894 · Musée des Augustins
17
The Visitation1894
18
The Crown1901 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
19
Vine Arbor in Saint-Germain1904 · Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
20
Bathers, Pouldu Beach1899 · Petit Palais
21
Blessing of a Yacht on the Belon River1899 · Cleveland Museum of Art
22
Descent from the Cross1901
23
Breakfast1901 · Städel Museum
24
Ulysses with Calypso1905 · Finnish National Gallery
25
Adoration of the mages1904 · Musée d'Orsay
26
LAISSEZ VENIR A MOI LES ENFANTS1900
27
Easter Morning or Easter Mystery1891
28
Gallic Goddess of the Herd1906 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
29
The Captives1907 · Musee des Beaux-Arts
30
Orpheus and Eurydice1910 · Minneapolis Institute of Art
31
Polyphemus1907 · Pushkin State Museum
32
Baigneuses à Perros-Guirec1910 · Petit Palais
33
Sand Castle1909
34
Panel 3. Psyche Discovers that Her Mysterious Lover is Eros1908 · Hermitage Museum
35
Panel 4. The Vengeance of Venus1908 · Hermitage Museum
36
Inner Light1914 · Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg
37
Portrait of Lisbeth in Blue1921 · Musee Departmental du Prieure
38
The Royal Tiger Bacchanale1920
39
Daphnis et Chloé1918
40
Portrait of Elisabeth Denis1922 · Musée Fabre
41
Autoportrait1919 · Musée Fabre
42
The Orange Christ1889 · Cleveland Museum of Art
43
First Communion of Léopoldine at Fourqueux1933 · Musée Victor Hugo
44
The Dignity of Work1931
45
Sainte Odile1939 · Musée d'Unterlinden
46
La Sainte Famille1939 · Musée d'Unterlinden
47
Sailing Races at Perros-Guirec1892 · Musée d'Orsay
48
Maquette au dixième de la coupole du théâtre des Champs Elysees
49
Mother and Child at Le Pouldu, Evening Light1899 · Musée de Pont-Aven
50
Bouleaux, sous bois d'automne (Etude pour la Légende de saint Hubert)
51
french, 4)1870
52
Histoire de Psyché, la punition de Psyché
53
Fruit Garden in the Hermitage1892 · Clemens Sels Museum Neuss
54
Breton Landscape1891 · Art Museum at The University of Kentucky
55
Evening Memory I1890 · Museum of Fine Arts
56
Motif Romanesque1890 · Los Angeles County Museum of Art
57
wedding procession1892 · Hermitage Museum
58
PAUVRE PECHEUR1888
59
Child in an Apron or Little Girl in a Red Dress1889
60
MARTHE AU PIANO1891
61
LES REGATES A PERROS GUIREC1892
62
MADAME RAMSON AU CHAT1892
63
L OFFRANDE AU CALVAIRE1890
64
SCALE IN THE FOLIAGE1892
65
MOTHER AND CHILD, ST PETERSBOURG HERMITAGE1890
66
Sleeping Woman1892
67
Regata at Perros1892
68
The Ecounter, ca Eremitaget1892 · Hermitage Museum
69
The visitation, eremitaget1894 · Hermitage Museum
70
Cortona1898 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
71
Landscape near Fiesole1897 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
72
Drying the Linen, or Moonrise at the Priory1894 · Cleveland Museum of Art
73
Virginal printemps (pommiers en fleurs)1894
74
Classical Landscape with Figures1898 · Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art
75
Le Port du Pecq1896 · Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
76
Noele's First Steps1897
77
Forentice Landscape, Viale dei Colli1898
78
The Sacred Wood1898
79
Martha and Mary, Eremitaget1896 · Hermitage Museum
80
REGATES A PERROS GUIREC1896
81
LE VERGER DES VIERGES SAGES1893
82
Mother and Child1895
83
VITRAIL POUR DENYS COCHIN LE CHEMIN DE VIE1895
84
ANNONCIATION AUX CHAUSSONS ROUGES1898
85
THE PRINCESS IN THE TOWER1894
86
JESUS CHEZ MARTHE ET MARIE1896
87
PROCESSION PASCALE1894
88
TROIS JEUNES PRINCESSES1893
89
Figures in a Spring Landscape (Sacred Grove) , E1897 · Hermitage Museum
90
SAINTES FEMMES AU TOMBEAU1894
91
LA VISITATION1894
92
Summer Day on the Island of Noirmoutier1903 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
93
The Red Beach1901 · Musee des Beaux-Arts
94
Intimacy or Mender at the Window1903 · Petit Palais
95
Eurydice1903 · Alte Nationalgalerie
96
VIRGINAL SPRING1899
97
DESCENTE DE CROIX DETREMPE1901
98
Bathsheeba, Blue Background1899
99
MISE AU TOMBEAU DETREMPE1901
100
The Dancers (also known as Eternal Summer, Wiesbaden)1905
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Maurice Denis | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hermitage Museum |
Saint Petersburg | 11 | Panel 3. Psyche Discovers that Her Mysterious Lover is Eros, Panel 4. The Vengeance of Venus, wedding procession |
 Musée d'Orsay |
Paris | 20 | Three Muses, Portrait of Madame de la Laurencie and children, Degas and his model |
 Cleveland Museum of Art |
Cleveland | 5 | Procession or Pardon at Perros-Guirec, Eva Meurier in a Green Dress, Blessing of a Yacht on the Belon River |
 Bavarian State Painting Collections |
Munich | 5 | The Crown, Gallic Goddess of the Herd, Cortona |
 Petit Palais |
Paris | 4 | Bathers, Pouldu Beach, Baigneuses à Perros-Guirec, Intimacy or Mender at the Window |
 Van Gogh Museum |
Amsterdam | 2 | The Supper at Emmaus, Dread |
 Musee des Beaux-Arts |
Reims | 2 | The Captives, The Red Beach |
 Musée Fabre |
Montpellier | 2 | Portrait of Elisabeth Denis, Autoportrait |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
The Portrait of Abbot Vallet emerges from the canvas as a quiet encounter with a man in repose. Painted by Maurice Denis in 1889, the work captures a moment of stillness that feels heavy with the weight of years. The subject, an elderly man, rests against pale pillows, his presence filling the space with a sense of weary contemplation. Every line of his face and the soft folds of his…
Step into a world of mystery and tranquility with "Three Muses," a captivating artwork created by Maurice Denis in 1893. This enchanting scene transports viewers to an enchanted forest, where human figures blend seamlessly with the natural environment. The composition is rich with intricate details, inviting you to lose yourself in its dreamlike atmosphere and ponder the story it tells.
The canvas holds a quiet afternoon in 1904. A woman sits at the center, her form a soft anchor amidst a sea of pale blues and creamy whites. She cradles an infant, a small weight of life that draws the eye through the gentle curves of her silhouette. Around her, children and another woman settle into the landscape, their presence felt through the rhythmic flow of drapery and the soft,…
The sacred scene of The Annunciation under the Arch with Lilies unfolds before us, a profound religious painting that captures a moment of divine intersection. Created by the artist Maurice Denis, this work invites a quiet contemplation of the spiritual narrative through its specific symbolic arrangement. The piece exists today within a private collection, preserved away from the public eye.
The oil painting titled Portrait of Lisbeth in Blue was executed by the French artist Maurice Denis. This work was completed in September 1921. The subject of the portrait is Elisabeth Graterolle, who is referred to as Lisbeth. The artist captured her likeness during a specific period of personal transition, as the painting was created shortly before his marriage to her in 1922.
In this 1933 oil painting, we find ourselves standing on the periphery of a sacred, communal ritual. The scene captures the First Communion of a young girl named Léopoldine, set against the soft, muted backdrop of the Fourqueux landscape. There is a profound stillness here, as if the air itself has paused to respect the gravity of the ceremony. A young girl, dressed in white, occupies the center of our…
Three Muses (1893), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. The Annunciation under the Arch with Lilies (1913) and The Seasons Series September (1891) come next.
23 years old: Three Muses dates from 1893, and Maurice Denis was born in 1870.
Three Muses, The Annunciation under the Arch with Lilies, The Seasons Series September, Portrait of Madame de la Laurencie and children, Degas and his model, LA LUTTE DE JACOB AVEC L ANGE, April, Procession or Pardon at Perros-Guirec, Mother and Child and The Supper at Emmaus. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 267 works by Maurice Denis, dated from 1888 to 1939.
Mostly in Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg), Musée d'Orsay (Paris) and Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1890s: 57 of the 100 works on this page were made then, Three Muses among them.
On this page, the earliest is PAUVRE PECHEUR (1888) and the latest Sainte Odile (1939).
People (16), Woman (13) and Landscape (10), across the 100 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 31 of the 100 works on this page.
Post-impressionism and Nabis, judging by the originals on this page.
Panel 3. Psyche Discovers that Her Mysterious Lover is Eros, Panel 4. The Vengeance of Venus and wedding procession: the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg holds 7 of the works on this page.
Maurice Denis, born in the coastal town of Granville, France, in 1870, occupies a fascinating position in art history—a pivotal figure straddling the waning days of Impressionism and the burgeoning currents of modern art. His life was one dedicated to reconciling spiritual yearning with artistic innovation, resulting in a body of work that is both deeply personal and profoundly influential. From an early age, Denis demonstrated a sensitivity to the evocative power of visual experience, particularly within the sacred spaces of his childhood church. The interplay of light, color, and incense ignited a lifelong fascination with symbolism and the potential for art to convey something beyond mere representation. This formative influence would become a defining characteristic of his artistic vision, setting him apart from many of his contemporaries who were increasingly focused on capturing fleeting moments of sensory perception. He wasn’t simply interested in *what* he saw, but *how* it felt—and how that feeling could be translated into a visual language capable of expressing the intangible.
Denis's artistic journey took a decisive turn when he became a central member of Les Nabis, a group of young artists who sought to revolutionize painting through a more spiritual and symbolic approach. The name “Nabis” itself—an anagram of "prophets"—revealed their ambition to create art that was not merely decorative but possessed a deeper, almost religious significance. Alongside figures like Paul Sérusier and Pierre Bonnard, Denis rejected the naturalism of Impressionism in favor of flattened perspectives, bold colors, and evocative patterns. This wasn’t about abandoning skill; it was about re-defining its purpose. The Nabis believed that art should be a synthesis of form and idea, a carefully constructed arrangement of elements designed to evoke emotion and suggest meaning. Denis articulated this philosophy most famously in his dictum: “Remember that painting—as a flat surface with colors arranged in certain relationships—has nothing to do with pictorial imitation of nature.” This statement became a cornerstone of modernist aesthetics, paving the way for movements like Cubism and Fauvism. His early works from this period, such as *Le Mystère Catholique* (1889), demonstrate his exploration of religious themes through a distinctly symbolic lens—a departure from traditional academic painting.
Throughout his career, Denis’s style underwent a fascinating evolution. While remaining committed to the principles of symbolism and spiritual expression, he experimented with various techniques and influences. Initially inspired by the vibrant colors and flattened forms of Gauguin and Japanese prints, he later turned towards the more structured compositions of Paul Cézanne, seeking a new form of classicism rooted in modern sensibilities. This shift is evident in his paintings from the 1890s and early 1900s, which exhibit a greater emphasis on form, balance, and clarity. He wasn’t simply imitating Cézanne; he was absorbing the lessons of structural rigor and applying them to his own unique vision. This period also saw him delve deeper into religious subject matter, believing that art had a vital role to play in revitalizing spiritual life. His work became increasingly imbued with a sense of serenity and contemplation, reflecting his personal faith and his desire to create images that would inspire reverence and devotion.
Denis’s influence extended beyond his own paintings. He was also a prolific writer and art critic, articulating his aesthetic theories in numerous essays and articles. His ideas helped to shape the development of modern art, inspiring generations of artists to explore new ways of representing reality and expressing their inner worlds. In 1919, he founded the Ateliers d'Art Sacré (Workshops of Sacred Art), a collective dedicated to restoring churches and creating religious artworks that would embody both artistic excellence and spiritual depth. This initiative reflected his belief that art should be an integral part of everyday life, enriching the human experience and fostering a sense of community. He envisioned a revival of sacred art—not as a return to past styles, but as a reimagining of tradition in light of modern sensibilities. Maurice Denis passed away in 1943, leaving behind a rich and diverse body of work that continues to resonate with audiences today. His paintings, writings, and pedagogical efforts cemented his place as a pivotal figure in the transition from Impressionism to modern art—a bridge between worlds, forever shaping our understanding of the power and purpose of artistic expression.
