The Jules Chéret Museum of Fine Arts in Nice is celebrating, from November 8, 2025, to March 8, 2026, the centennial of the historical exhibition dedicated to Maurice Denis. An invitation to travel back in time and explore the French Riviera through the eyes of a mystical and sunny painter.
Entering the exhibition Maurice Denis, 1920s. The Splendor of the South, is like embarking on a true journey through time. From his early trips to Provence in 1906 to his luminous stays in Antibes and Banyuls-sur-Mer (Pyrénées-Orientales), visitors traverse half a century of creation and artistic discoveries.
Accompanied by his friend Ker-Xavier Roussel, Denis discovers the magic of the Mediterranean light, which he describes as “fairy-like.” The South becomes his refuge, his spiritual and aesthetic laboratory. The landscapes of the Estérel, the chapels, and the coves of Antibes fuel a work that is both mystical and sensual.
Through a selection of major paintings, the museum in Nice brings this fascination with the South back to life, where each painting is an open window to the sea, the mountains, and the peace found in the interwar period.
A Work Inhabited by Family and Love
For Maurice Denis, painting is inseparable from family. His children, his first wife Marthe, and his second wife Élisabeth Graterolle are at the heart of his pictorial universe. Marthe, who passed away prematurely, remains his model and muse. Élisabeth, met after his period of mourning, breathes new vitality into his work.
Their faces and those of their children populate his paintings: scenes of bathing, motherhood, seaside walks, and children playing in the southern light… All embody the gentleness, faith, and continuity of life. For Denis, painting his family is painting the beauty of the world. This intimacy is also reflected in the works on display: portraits, sketches, and drawings reveal the deep attachment of a father and husband to those who inspired his artistic quest.
A Rediscovered Radiance for the Nice Museum
The Jules Chéret Museum of Fine Arts is taking advantage of this celebration to enrich its collections. Four works are joining the permanent collection, including three by Maurice Denis and one by his daughter, Madeleine Dinès, also an artist. Among them, The Walls of Siena (1921) and View from La Garoupe, Antibes (1922) continue this dialogue between travel, memory, and light.
The presence of Woman Knitting by Madeleine Dinès illustrates at last the museum’s desire to highlight female creation, while honoring a lineage of artists united by the same love of painting and the South.
Practical Information
Exhibition: Maurice Denis, 1920s. The Splendor of the South
Location: Jules Chéret Museum of Fine Arts, Nice
Dates: from November 8, 2025, to March 8, 2026.
Alessandro Legros
