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Merlin James & Edouard Vuillard
in collaboration with Maureen Paley
Sep 24 - Oct 30, 2026


Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940) belonged to the Nabi, the group of Parisian painters including Bonnard, Denis, Vallotton and Sérusier, among others. The name Nabi derives from the Hebrew/Arabic word meaning prophet, proclaiming themselves as prophets in the realm of modern art.

This pairing reflects a longstanding affinity. As a painter and critic, Merlin James has engaged with Édouard Vuillard on multiple levels: extensively reviewing the artist's multi-volume catalogue raisonne for The Burlington Magazine, showing Vuillard's works alongside other early modern masters in the exhibition FIELDWORK at 42 Carlton Place, and invoking his name to affirm the validity of painting in his landmark 2002 lecture, Painting per se, at The Cooper Union, New York

Vuillard's golden period falls on the turn of the century, and is celebrated for its quiet, intensely composed painting that favours flat fields of colour and pattern over illusionistic depth. Although the two paintings in this exhibition are separated by almost a century, Vuillard's DNA surfaces through James's own muted palette and compressed compositions. Both painters were in their early thirties when making these works, before each oeuvre would evolve significantly later in their careers.

The exhibition will precede major upcoming surveys for both artists. Vuillard. Théâtres intimes at the Musée d'Orsay (March 2027) and James's solo exhibition at Camden Art Centre, London (January 2027) and a solo exhibition at Vienna Secession (June 2027).