Les Nabis

Les Nabis (from the Hebrew and Arabic term for “prophets,”) were a Symbolist, cult-like group headed by Paul Sérusier that rejected the formal rigidness of academic painting and abandoned linear perspective and modeling. From the 1880s to the early 20th century, The Nabis artists sought connection with a higher power and believed they could serve as a “high priests” and “seers” by creating work that revealed invisible forces like personal expression and spiritual truths. Nabis artists also promoted equivalence between art and design and took on projects like wallpaper, ceramics, stained glass, and textile design.