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Musée Maillol, Paris, France | |
| A small museum featuring both works by Maillol and interesting temporary exhibitions. | ||
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Aristide Maillol (1861-1944) is perhaps best known as a sculptor, particularly of female forms. His sculptures such as La Méditeranée or Flore are well-known and easily recognized.
Before becoming a sculptor, however, Maillol was a serious artist, drawing and painting in a variety of styles and working in terracotta. He also engaged deeply in tapestry, inspired by the Lady and the Unicorn tapestry in the Cluny Museum. Most of his major sculptures were done between 1929 and 1944. In 1934, he met Dina Vierny, who became his principal model and collaborator for the last ten years of his life. After Maillol's death, Dina Vierny focused on creating a museum dedicated to his work. She first opened a gallery in 1947, and in 1995 opened the Musée Maillol in its current location. In addition to finished bronzes, visitors can get a glimpse of plaster statues in a workshop setting.
After Vierny's death in 2009, the Dina Vierny Foundation continued to manage the museum; in 2016 the termporary exhibitions were entrusted to Culturespaces, a private cultural operator that manages a variety of monuments, museums, and exhibitions. Part of Dina Vierny's vision was that the museum would not only present the works of Aristide Maillol, but it would also host temporary exhibitions. In recent years temporary exhibitions have focused on the work of Alberto Giacometti and on the splendid Impressionist collection of Emil Buhrle. Visiting the museum thus has two characters: a chance to get to know Maillol in greater depth, through the variety and breadth of his work; and a chance to view interesting temporary exhibitions. Métro: Rue du Bac, Sèves-Babylone Open daily, 10:30 - 6:30; Fridays until 8:30 PM, during exhibitions Musée Maillol
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Above, Field of Poppies near Vétheuil, by Claude Monet, part of a temporary exhibition at the Musée Maillol.
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