La Pedrera in Barcelona is currently hosting “The Nabis: From Bonnard to Vuillard”, a significant art exhibition featuring 200 works that mark a pivotal aesthetic revolution from the late 19th century. This extensive collection, on display for the first time in Barcelona, runs until 28 June.

Exploring the Nabi Movement

Isabelle Cahn curated the exhibition, which explores the Nabi movement, active from 1888 to 1900. These artists sought a transition towards new artistic languages of modernity. Isabelle Cahn, the exhibition’s curator, stated, “They wanted to create an aesthetic revolution based on colour, following their mentor Paul Gauguin.”

Marga Viza, Director of Exhibition Experiences at Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera, explained the group’s ambition. She noted their desire “to create a new art, to leave Impressionism behind and create this more colourful, non-perspectival, synthesised painting” that depicted “everyday life.”

Art for Everyday Life

The Nabi artists, whose name derives from the Hebrew “neviim” meaning ‘prophets’, aimed to revitalise painting. Their work, full of colour and rhythm, served as an ideal medium to represent the transformations of the modern city and reach a broad audience. They also brought art into homes, depicting daily routines.

The exhibition highlights a constant dialogue between painting, decorative arts, and architecture in their proposals. This expanded their aesthetic across various mediums, including panels, crockery, and screens, integrating art into domestic spaces.

Many members of the Nabi group trained at the Académie Julian. Key figures include Paul-Élie Ranson, Pierre Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard, and Maurice Denis. Other notable artists who joined were Henri-Gabriel Ibels, Georges Lacombe, Aristides Maillol, József Rippl-Rónai, Ker-Xavier Roussel, Félix Vallotton, and Jan Verkade.

A Collection of European Masterpieces

The collection features works from 10 artists. These pieces originate from 50 European museums and private collections. These works are exceptionally brought together and organised by theme for this Barcelona showing. Paul Sérusier’s small landscape, “The Talisman”, serves as a starting point for this profound renewal of painting.

La Pedrera, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a masterpiece by Antoni Gaudí, provides a fitting venue for this exploration of artistic innovation. This exhibition offers residents and tourists a unique opportunity to engage with a pivotal period in art history. Additionally, organisers arrange related activities with other cultural institutions, including the Picasso Museum, the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), the Gran Teatre del Liceu, and the Palau de la Música Catalana.

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Originally published by betevé. Read original article.