A day in Paris in the footsteps of the Nabis by Esprit de France

This spring offers a generous vista to Nabis painters. The Musée d'Orsay features Le Talisman by Sérusier, a work that has become iconic since it played an important role in the founding of the group. As for the Musée du Luxembourg, it stages the presentation of the decorative panels by the same group when they responded to the wishes of their friends and close patrons. Indeed just before the start of the twentieth century, the Nabis (meaning prophet in Hebrew) wanted to be the pioneers of modern décor and add joy, rhythm, life and above all beauty to daily life. Which is why they created and innovated in this field as part of their vision of total Art, ranging from simple screens to large panels. These, often scattered since, remain the lesser-known aspects of their work that borrows from Japanese art discovered by prints and also deals with symbolism and poetry. The current exhibition helps visitors situate the decorative ensembles and understand the scale of Bonnard, Maurice Denis, Vuillard or Pierre-Elie Ranson’s ambition: organize vast arrangements of compositions with simplified forms and undulating lines punctuated with bright colors, breaking away from classic approaches to embrace new, modern aesthetics! You, just like us, will appreciate the large frescoes made by Vuillard for his friend Natanson or for Doctor Vaquez: whether they represent gardens or bourgeois interiors, they are saturated with spots of vibrant colors and the figures as well as the objects seem absorbed by this continuous and floating environment.

Exiting the exhibition, you may take a break at Angelina’s tea room nearby or, if it's dinner time, why not discover the Mermoz, a bistro near the Champs Elysees. The original spirit of the old 1920s café on rue Jean Mermoz is still intact, illustrated by the crammed seating and massive counter. However, this traditional café has become a bistronomique restaurant (play on bistrot and gastronomique). Everything has been entirely refurbished, from the déco to the menu by an energetic, young team lead by Chef Manon Fleury, who has an interesting CV as she previously worked at L’Astrance. The results are seasonal bistrot cuisine and original combinations such as her cockerel cooked with bergamot orange, coriander and kasha (buckwheat). The desserts are just as elegant, light and exciting !