Maurice Denis in the middle of his collection

Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines). After the “Signac Collector” exhibition held at the Musée d’Orsay in 2021-2022, the theme of artist collecting is enriched with the study of the case of Maurice Denis (1870-1943). But, unlike Signac, the painter’s archives are partly scattered among his descendants, as are some of the works that belonged to him. And, even if the Saint-Germain-en-Laye Museum preserves numerous documents (notably his correspondence, posted online on the website of the Yvelines department), partially reconstituting its collection required significant research work carried out by Fabienne Stahl and Gwendoline Corthier-Hardoin. For example, they examined photographs of the painter’s houses under a magnifying glass to identify what was on the wall or on the furniture and, sometimes, made new discoveries at the museum. This is how, in 2017, Fabienne Stahl unearthed a list drawn up by the painter of works in his collection, which she dated to 1907. At the end of the exhibition, some documents which guided the curators are shown.

Other photographs and letters appear previously in the course, linked to one or more works. At the very beginning of the visit, we can see, on an enlarged photo, Maurice Denis surrounded by paintings and sculptures. There is there Women by the sea, sketch, saidMartinique (between 1887 and 1889) by Charles Laval, Standing bather (1900) by Aristide Maillol and Portrait of sick Ker-Xavier Roussel (1909) by Édouard Vuillard. Above it hangs Self-portrait with Japanese print (1887) by Vincent van Gogh. All of this is presented to the public, with the exception of Van Gogh which appears in facsimile. In the same photo, we see Still life Gloanec party (1889) by Paul Gauguin above the left shoulder of Maurice Denis. The painting is further away and its cartel is completed with the photograph of Anne-Marie, the painter’s daughter, posing in 1921 with her fiancé in her father’s house. Behind them are the Gauguin topped with the Van Gogh.

An incomplete selection

Not all of the coveted works were obtained. The Musée d’Orsay was unable to lend Portrait of the artist with the yellow Christ (between 1890 and 1891) by Paul Gauguin, nor The Talisman, Landscape at Bois d’Amour (1888) by Paul Sérusier nor pastel Desire and Satisfaction (1893) by Jan Toorop but on the other hand got rid of Lustral (May 1891) by Ranson. The Pont-Aven Museum sent Portrait by Marie Lagadu (around 1889) (see ill.) and Color circle (around 1920) by Sérusier, Nude of the Countess of Hauteroche (1896) by Armand Seguin as well as Landscape of Pont-Aven or L’Arbre roux (1888) by Émile Bernard and the Geneva Museum of Art and History entrusted The Bottle (around 1907-1908) by Pierre Bonnard.

The cartel of Woman in an interior (around 1925-1929) by Georges d’Espagnat recalls that Denis bought but also exchanged a lot with other artists. There were also gifts, like Patriotic dolls (1915) dedicated by Jacqueline Marval to Marthe Denis for the birth of Jean-François Denis. For his part, Max Jacob signed his gouache Des Tuileries at Notre-Dame (1928) « to the great and respected/Maurice Denis/the master of all those who seek/their inspiration in God”. These works are kept in private collections, as are La Rochelle, the Grosse Horloge gate seen from the quay (1920) by Albert Marquet, acquired in 1922. Gwendoline Corthier-Hardoin searched extensively for this painting and sometimes had to use great persuasion to convince the owners to temporarily part with their objects. But two upcoming events, above all, have caused disappointments: the exhibition on Gustave Fayet and that on Paul Cézanne which are due to open in the fall in Paris. Close to Maurice Denis, Fayet purchased works from his collection which were therefore retained by museums in anticipation of the event at the Louis Vuitton Foundation. As for Cézanne, “he’s the big absentee from our exhibition even though Maurice Denis was crazy about it”notes Fabienne Stahl. So, Bathers (between 1899 and 1900), which belongs to the Musée d’Orsay, was unable to reach Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

Of the 500 works and reproductions or plasters which constituted the painter’s collection, 150 are presented here. Besides what is kept at the museum – Witches around the fire (1891) by Paul-Élie Ranson, Portrait of Marthe Denis in the mirror (1907) by Théo Van Rysselberghe, donated by the family, At Maurice Denis in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (around 1905) by Édouard Vuillard, deposited by the Musée d’Orsay, Christ at the column (1910) by George Desvallières purchased by Denis – and loans which testify to his admiration for Gauguin or Bonnard, there are some which revive forgotten names like those of Alexandra Shchekotikhina or Gabrielle Faure who were his students. There are a few facsimiles (Gauguin, Van Gogh, Renoir and Lhote…) essential to measure the importance of his collection. To see the great masterpieces he owned, you will have to visit the “Fayet” and “Cézanne” exhibitions. But this gives a sensitive overview of his life in the midst of his paintings, sculptures and drawings. There remains much to be done to better understand this collection and the curators hope that new researchers will become enthusiastic about this subject after them.