(from Hebrew navi , "prophet" or "seer") Group of French artists who paved the way for the development of abstract art in the early 20th century.
The Nabis preached that a work of art is the visual expression of an artist's synthesis of nature and his or her personal aesthetic. They were influenced by Pont-Aven school , as well as by Japanese woodcuts, Symbolist painting, and the Pre-Raphaelites . Paul Sérusier (1865–1927), the group's founder, painted the first Nabi work, Landscape at the Bois d'Amour at Pont-Aven (also called Talisman ; 1888). Original members included {{link=Bonnard, Pierre">Pierre Bonnard and Édouard Vuillard ; a later member was Aristide Maillol .