Maurice Denis Museum

The Maurice Denis Museum conceals a dense history in the maze of its vaulted corridors and gives pride of place to the Symbolist and Nabis painters whose works are revealed as you travel along.

Today classified as a historical monument, this imposing building built at the end of the 17th century at the request of Madame de Montespan was then a royal general hospital that welcomed the needy. In 1914 Maurice Denis acquired this building where he already had a studio in the garden. He restored it, named it "Le Prieuré" and lived there with his family until the end of his life.

Maurice Denis and the Nabis painters

The museum's initial collection was constituted by an exceptional donation made in 1976 by Maurice Denis' family. Since then, it has been enriched by numerous donations and acquisitions of works by Symbolist and Nabis artists, the innovative artistic movement at the crossroads of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Thus, alongside works by Maurice Denis illustrating religious and family themes, intimate scenes, or landscapes of Italy and Brittany, are exhibited, paintings by Sérusier, Bonnard, Ranson, Vuilliard,… among the artist's friends.

Don't miss the chapel of the old hospital, one of the treasures of the place. The unique décor is the most complete and characteristic religious pictorial ensemble of the artist.

The garden in which the museum is nestled on the hillside is an invitation to stroll around, offering a variety of landscapes and a rich botanical trail. Around the museum, a first level decorated with sculptures by Antoine Bourdelle, a close friend of the owner of the place, is formed by a shaded courtyard and a long terrace lined with lime and yew trees. From there, one reaches the alley of the rose garden and a vast "green theater" lined with large trees. Below, the old orchard and the vegetable garden extend, embellished with a fountain and a pond.
A stroll through this harmonious garden will give you a better understanding of the importance of nature in the work and life of the painter.

Today, the garden is the privileged setting for art workshops and open-air concerts…

A museum and a collection to be discovered without delay in the heart of Saint-Germain-en-Laye!