Maurice Denis's Collection Reconstructed at Saint-Germain-en-Laye Museum

The Musée départemental Maurice Denis in Saint-Germain-en-Laye has mounted an exhibition reconstructing the personal art collection of the painter Maurice Denis (1870–1943). Curators Fabienne Stahl and Gwendoline Corthier-Hardoin spent years tracking down works Denis owned, using photographs of his homes and a 1907 inventory list discovered by Stahl in 2017. The show presents 150 of the approximately 500 works and reproductions from Denis's collection, including loans from the Musée d'Orsay, Musée de Pont-Aven, and Musée d'art et d'histoire de Genève. Highlights include Charles Laval's "Femmes au bord de la mer" (1887–1889), Aristide Maillol's "Baigneuse debout" (1900), Édouard Vuillard's "Portrait de Ker-Xavier Roussel malade" (1909), and Paul Gauguin's "Nature morte Fête Gloanec" (1889). A facsimile of Vincent van Gogh's "Autoportrait à l'estampe japonaise" (1887) replaces the original. Notable absences include Gauguin's "Portrait de l'artiste au Christ jaune" (1890–1891), Paul Sérusier's "Le Talisman" (1888), and Jan Toorop's "Le Désir et l'Assouvissement" (1893), withheld by the Musée d'Orsay. Cézanne's "Baigneurs" (1899–1900) was also unavailable due to upcoming exhibitions on Gustave Fayet and Paul Cézanne at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. The exhibition includes works by lesser-known artists such as Alexandra Shchekotikhina and Gabrielle Faure, Denis's students. It runs through autumn 2026.