Maurice Denis, années 1920. L’éclat du Midi

The reconstruction and study of this exhibition demonstrate the importance of the artist's successive trips to the south of France (1906, 1913, and 1922) during his prolific creative decade of the 1920s. The encounter between the Denisian universe and the Côte d'Azur also provides an opportunity to take a broader look at this very special moment in his life as a man and as an artist. After the death of his first wife in 1919, his marriage to Elisabeth Graterolle restored a creative vitality that enabled him to respond to the numerous requests that crowned his career.

The shimmering blues and pinks of the winter light that flooded his works during this period thus reflect the accomplishment of an artist who came to draw new life from the shores of the Mediterranean, during this peaceful interwar period.