The Fondation’s major acquisitions 

While the collections of the Dina Vierny Foundation – Musée Maillol were initially composed of works from the Lucien Maillol estate, of which Dina Vierny was the universal legatee in 1972, the vast majority of the pieces on display at the museum today were acquired over the years by Vierny to build the collection that allowed for the creation of the institution. Although this initial collection was very significant at the museum’s opening in 1995, enabling the creation of a permanent exhibition layout at the Musée Maillol in Paris and Banyuls, and allowing the foundation to organize Maillol exhibitions in France and abroad, it has been essential for the Foundation to continue enriching its collections for a more cohesive and comprehensive understanding of the artist’s work, thus making Maillol’s legacy better known to the public. This is why many acquisitions have been made since the museum’s opening, particularly of works from the early stages of Maillol’s career, which had been dispersed shortly after their creation at the end of the 19th century or the beginning of the 20th.

The Two Bathers or Dina from the back and profile (1938)

On the occasion of the exhibition “Maillol Painter” at the Musée Maillol in 2001, the Dina Vierny Foundation was offered this oil painting on canvas, a loan that later became a donation from Seema Boesky, a great admirer of French painting and sculpture.

In the final years of his life, stimulated by his collaboration with the young Dina Vierny, Maillol produced numerous paintings of nudes set in landscapes, enjoying the opportunity to stage the body of his model, represented here twice. Earthly muse facing marine muse, the focus is on the sinuous curves of the body and the suppleness of the female flesh, which disappears into the meandering water. While one Dina turns her back to the viewer, the other gazes at them, a faint smile at the corner of her lips. Executed in the very same year that Maillol began The River (1938), these two works feature depictions of aquatic women, horizontal and almost unstable.

The Prodigal Son (around 1889)

Acquired by the Foundation in 2018, this oil on canvas once belonged to the descendants of Maurice Denis and was last presented to the public during the “Maillol – Painter” exhibition in 2001.

This is one of the rare paintings by Maillol with a Symbolist subject, and its style bears a resemblance to that of Puvis de Chavanne – whom Maillol greatly admired – or Maurice Denis, with whom Maillol had a close relationship. With a biblical theme, The Prodigal Son tells the story of a young man who leaves his family, loses all his money indulging in his passions without finding fulfillment, and ends up working with pigs before returning home, filled with repentance. Painted around 1889, this canvas could be interpreted as an artist’s reflection on his own calling and the extent of his dreams.

One of the Americans (1891)

In 1981, Aristide Maillol traveled to Fécamp, a tourist town in Normandy. While there, he met American women painters, whom he painted in portraits. This oil on canvas is part of the series of iconic profile portraits from the 1890s, such as Young girl’s profile (1890) or Young girl with a black hat (1890-1891).

In each of these works, the young women are partially hidden beneath their hats, allowing the artist to focus on synthesizing the motif with a line-based technique that clarifies the contours—an idea he would later incorporate into his sculptural work. Rather than focusing on expressions, Maillol here conducts a study of form, capturing anonymous silhouettes.

Draped Figure, or Chinese (1894-1895)

According to Maillol himself, Draped Figure would be his very first statuette, carved impulsively from a tree trunk without a specific idea in mind, much like the three small reliefs slightly preceding it, which were carved from logs of wood found beside him to pass the time while his collaborators wove his tapestries.

The result is a figure draped in a tunic that clings to her body, revealing her forms and exposing her bare feet. With a certain exotic grace, it recalls the Indochinese statuettes that were common in the 19th century, which is how it earned its nickname. One can also see the influence of the 13th-century Parisian Virgin statues carved in ivory, with a play of drapery unfolding over a figure that follows the natural shape of its support.

This statuette, which shows the first tentative steps of an artist who never formally learned sculpture, can thus be seen as the naive or primitive genesis of a sculptural repertoire that would emerge a few years later and that would not need to unlearn or free itself from the lessons of a master sculptor.

Young girl kneeling combing her hair (around 1896-1897)

Always interested in new materials and the experimentation with techniques, Aristide Maillol tried his hand at ceramics after discovering a clay deposit in Banyuls, near his tapestry workshop. He also experimented with glazes and slips using his own small kiln, which unfortunately led to a few failed firings, destroying a portion of his production.

Although he began experimenting with ceramics after some successful attempts at wood sculptures, Maillol struggled to free his early small sculpted figures from their decorative ensembles, such as the fountains he liked to crown with statuettes. This is the case with Young girl kneeling combing her hair, a motif created to adorn one of the two fountains preserved at the Musée Maillol, and thus can be considered a first version or an attempt at a glazing technique.

The Source  (vers 1895-1897)

“What more can I tell you? […] Maillol has returned from the south, with his wife and child. He has made some very interesting little terracotta statuettes,” explains Daniel de Monfreid to Paul Gauguin in 1897. Acquired by the Foundation in 2011, this glazed terracotta is another example of Maillol’s ceramic experimentation, where he delicately shapes the wave of water flowing over the body of the sleeping figure.

This early work in terracotta would serve as a model for fountain ornaments, glazed in blue and white, commissioned by Auguste Renoir in 1901 and later by Harry Kessler in 1904. Thus, these small statuettes made from the clay of Banyuls mark the beginning of Maillol’s long and fruitful sculptural career.

The Wave or Woman and the wave (around 1898)

This terracotta relief is part of one of Aristide Maillol’s first major cycles of research, which was also explored in painting, tapestry, drawing, and engraving. The theme of the aquatic woman is strongly influenced by the work of Gauguin, particularly his painting Ondine (1889), which shares many similarities with Maillol’s series.

Depicting a woman, seen from the back, facing a swell of waves and foam, the relief allows Maillol to create a work full of dynamism. Enclosed within this circle, the woman’s movement becomes all the more intense, as if she is folded in on herself, struggling to free herself. There is a strong emphasis on the contraction of her muscles, contrasting with the agitated waves, which recalls the influence of decorative arts in Maillol’s works around 1890.

Ensemble of 36 sketchbooks (1904-1905)  

In 2013, the Musée Maillol acquired an exceptional collection of 36 sketchbooks by Maillol, as well as several paintings, works on paper, and a significant archive, all from the same source.

This essential collection for understanding Maillol’s work brings together hundreds of studies that help us better understand the genesis, research, and development of iconic works such as The Mediterranean (1902-05) and The Chained Action (1905-07). Maillol never sculpted from life, preferring first to sketch his models during posing sessions before beginning the modeling process in his studio alone. These study notebooks, drawn in chalk, pencil, or charcoal, represent a fundamental step in the sculptor’s creative process, as they form a major part of the repertoire from which Maillol drew to compose his sculptures.

Eastern Pyrenees Landscape (1885-1886)

Originally from Banyuls-sur-Mer, Maillol was familiar with these mountain landscapes, with its farmhouses, vineyards, and scrubland, and he loved spending time there, as he owned a farmhouse where he often retreated to meditate and work. He actually spent half of the year in his hometown, returning to Marly-le-Roi during the warmer months.

This brightly colored painting is reminiscent of the sensitivity of Impressionist work, particularly through its broken brushstrokes. Yet, it already hints at the importance of a geometrized composition that he would later adopt from Cézanne, as well as the essential role that light and the search for harmony would play in his work. Delicately signed in red “A Maillol,” it is part of a series of sunlit landscapes marking the early stages of the artist’s production.

Exhibiting Maillol around the world

While Aristide Maillol remains the soul of the museum, his work has traveled far beyond its walls. From the Musée d’Orsay in Paris to the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan, the Dina Vierny Foundation has had the opportunity, over the years, to collaborate with numerous institutions worldwide to exhibit and promote the art of Maillol.

Musée Maillol, France, « Maillol and the passion for bronze », December 1995 to May 1996.

The very first exhibition dedicated to Maillol in his own museum, this exhibition was organized by Dina Vierny herself and her son, Bertrand Lorquin. By showcasing a remarkable collection of sculptures that have become the hallmark of the institution, as well as miniatures and his early lead experiments, the exhibition aimed to introduce the public to the evolution of the artist’s technique throughout his career and his deep connection to this material, which gave a sense of eternity to his sculptures.

Studying Maillol’s work with form and material ultimately allows the viewer to trace the sculptor’s life through this first monographic exhibition, offering a panoramic view of his work, from his very first metal experiment, Lead vase (1895), to his first idea for The Air (1938).

São Paulo Pinacoteca, Brazil, « Maillol », October to November 1996.

After the success of the first exhibition on Rodin in 1995, it was Maillol’s turn to be featured at the oldest art museum in São Paulo. For this occasion, the Foundation lent 31 bronzes by the French sculptor, along with other works from the collections of the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée des Beaux-Arts of Lyon.

During this exhibition, The Bather without arms (1921) was purchased by the Spanish group Safra from the Dina Vierny Foundation and gifted to the Pinacoteca, where it is now on display. This exhibition is particularly significant as it marks the beginning of numerous collaborations between the Dina Vierny Foundation and various international cultural institutions.

Kaohsiung Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan, « Aristide Maillol », January to May 1996.

“Art is an international language: a quality exhibition creates a unique space-time where audiences from various nationalities and artists from different periods can meet in a spiritual exchange,” explains Tsung-hung Huang, president of the Art Dimension Foundation in Taiwan, who is celebrating this new exhibition at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts. This event, organized in close collaboration with the Musée Maillol, presents Maillol’s work to the Taiwanese public for the first time with a collection of eighty-three sculpted and drawn works. This project follows the many exhibitions organized by Dina Vierny in the 1970s and 1980s in Asia—mainly in Japan—and aims to bring Maillol to China, a project that, until now, has never materialized.

Musée Maillol, France, « Maillol Painter », June to October 2001.

After the work on bronze, the Dina Vierny Foundation organized an exhibition dedicated to Maillol’s painting in 2001, highlighting a little-known aspect of his career, especially famous for the fundamental role he played in the revival of sculpture in the early 20th century. His initial vocation was, in fact, painting, and he chose this path for the first twenty years of his career before beginning sculpture around the age of forty.

This major project dedicated to Maillol’s paintings largely relied on the museum’s collection, formed by Dina Vierny, as well as exceptional loans from private collections in Japan and the United States, but also from public institutions such as the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée du Petit Palais, the Kröller Müller Museum, the Carlsberg Glyptotek, and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

The exhibition Maillol Painter has now become a key milestone in understanding and appreciating Maillol’s work and has allowed a whole aspect of his production, which had almost been forgotten by the public, to resurface.

Catalunya Foundation – La Pedrera, Spain, « Maillol », October 2009 to January 2010.

“But the statues, their power, their beauty, their confidence, their testimony—where are they?” questions Jean Clair, essayist, former director of the Musée Picasso, and member of the French Academy. This question opens the grand exhibition at La Pedrera in Barcelona, where Maillol’s work is celebrated for the first time. Although renowned in France, Maillol always remained loyal to Catalonia, which he knew so well. It was within the stone walls of Gaudí’s La Pedrera that this connection was celebrated, with 121 works retracing the different facets of Maillol’s career: sculpture, painting, drawing, engraving, tapestry, and ceramics. The Barcelona museum also showcased several monumental sculptures, including The Mountain (1925) and The River (1938), which stood proudly on the prestigious Passeig de Gràcia.

“Maillol was the last, one of the last, to know how to create statues. Stable, upright, and full statues: this is their primary character, a unity unique to an organism reaching towards the light,” concludes Jean Clair.

Clemens-Sels-Museum Neuss, Germany, « Aristide Maillol & Maurice Denis : A friendship », September 2011 to January 2012.

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Aristide Maillol, an exhibition is dedicated to the connections between Maillol and Denis at the Clemens-Sels-Museum in Neuss. With a large collection of Nabi works, the museum collaborated with the Dina Vierny Foundation and the Musée départemental Maurice Denis to complete this project. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, as well as numerous letters exchanged between the two artists, all illustrate the relationship between these two major figures of modern art, with loans from both Germany and France. Through a chronological path juxtaposing their respective works, the German public had the opportunity to discover the links between the famous sculptor and the painter and Nabi theorist.

Kunsthal, Rotterdam, Netherlands, « Maillol », September 2012 to February 2013.

Since 2002, the Kunsthal has showcased the work of several internationally renowned sculptors to address the lack of monographic sculpture exhibitions in Dutch museums. After Henry Moore in 2006 and Alberto Giacometti in 2008, it was Aristide Maillol who took center stage in 2012. This was not the first time that Rotterdam had hosted Maillol’s work, as the city’s artistic circle had already dedicated an important retrospective exhibition to him in 1913, the first outside of France.

In 2012, for the 20th anniversary of the Kunsthal, exhibition curator Àlex Susanna gathered the majority of Maillol’s monumental statues and life-size works, such as The Chained Action (1905-1908), The Night (1909), and his unfinished last work Harmony (1940-44). The balanced dialogue with the contemporary architecture of the museum, designed by Rem Koolhaas, allowed the formal modernity and the silent harmony of Maillol’s works to shine through.

Frédéric Marès Museum, Spain, « Maillol and Greece », April to January 2016.

Offering a study of another theme in Maillol’s work that had been little explored until then, the Musée Frédéric Marès, in collaboration with the Musée Maillol, organized a monographic exhibition in 2016 focused on the artist’s journey to Greece in 1908. Featuring numerous small-format works from the Foundation’s collection as well as other documents and photographs from the trip taken by Count Harry Kessler, a patron, friend, and travel companion of Maillol, this exhibition allowed visitors to discover the unique relationship between Maillol and Greece, between the artist and the cradle of ancient sculpture that he so revered.

On the occasion of this exhibition, in addition to the catalog, the museum published an unpublished transcription of Maillol’s travel journal from his time in Greece, the original of which is preserved at the Musée Maillol in Paris. It gathers his sketches and impressions of Greece, the places he visited, and the classical sculptures that moved him deeply.

Hyacinthe Rigaud Art Museum, France, « Rodin – Maillol. Face to face », June to November 2019.

In 2019, the Hyacinthe Rigaud Art Museum presented an exhibition designed as an unprecedented dialogue between two great sculptors who profoundly influenced modern art: Aristide Maillol and Auguste Rodin. This “face-to-face” allowed visitors to discover the many parallels between these two men, a true dialogue between marble and bronze.

Conceived as a series of formal comparisons between the two artists, the exhibition aimed to highlight both the differences in their approaches and the unexpected similarities in their work.

With the support of both the Rodin Museum and the Musée Maillol, the Perpignan exhibition brought together a collection of iconic works from both artists, such as Rodin’s plaster The Thinker (1880) and Maillol’s plaster of Mediterranean (1902-05).

This was not the first exhibition focused on Maillol that Perpignan hosted, as in 2000, the Dina Vierny Foundation had co-organized a retrospective titled “Aristide Maillol” at the Palais des Congrès, thus recalling the connection between the artist and the city where he took his first drawing lessons and to which he had gifted the first bronze cast of Mediterranean.

Musée d’Orsay, France, « Aristide Maillol (1861-1944). The Quest for Harmony », April to August 2022.

The 2022 monographic exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay marked a turning point in the study of Maillol’s work. With over 200 pieces, including around 90 sculptures, as well as several drawings, prints, paintings, and decorative art objects, the Parisian public was given the opportunity to experience a comprehensive exhibition of Aristide Maillol’s work for the first time. The exhibition also placed the artist’s work in dialogue with that of his contemporaries, such as Maurice Denis, Pierre Renoir, and Édouard Vuillard. This monographic and chronological presentation traced the entirety of his career, from his early years as a painter to his work in embroidery, his initial experiments in sculpture at the end of the century, and his work on wood and small-scale pieces, concluding with his later works that contributed to his fame, such as Mediterranean (1902-05) and the Monument for Cézanne (1912-1915).

After attracting more than 400,000 visitors, the retrospective traveled to the Kunsthaus in Zurich from September 2022 to January 2023, and then to La Piscine in Roubaix, from February to May 2023.

Beyond the confines of the Musée Maillol in Paris, the Dina Vierny Foundation – Musée Maillol has continued the founder’s mission by supporting various museums and cultural institutions around the world, ensuring that Maillol’s work is recognized both in France and abroad. These many exhibitions over the years have helped preserve the memory and legacy of Aristide Maillol and introduced his diverse artistic facets to a wider audience.

NB : In addition to the few examples mentioned above, other significant exhibitions have enriched the history of the Dina Vierny Foundation's collaborations, including:

• Georg-Kolbe Museum, Germany, “Aristide Maillol,” January to May 1996, then Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne, Switzerland, May to September 1996
• Institute of Modern Art in Valencia, Spain, “Aristide Maillol,” February to March 2002
• Lembruck Museum, Germany, “Lembruck, Rodin and Maillol,” September 2005 to January 2006
• Villa Flora Art Museum, Switzerland, “Sensuality and Renunciation. Maillol (1861-1944) and Lehmbruck (1881-1919) at Villa Flora in Winterthur,” April to August 2010
• Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, France, “From Line to Volume,” April to June 2014
• Hungarian National Gallery, Hungary, “Rippl-Ronai, Maillol: The Story of a Friendship,” December 2014 to April 2015
• Modern Art Museum of Céret, France, “Maillol, Frère, Pons. A Catalan Arcadia,” July to October 2016

In its thirty years of existence, the Dina Vierny Foundation has managed to transcend the boundaries of its Parisian space, achieving international recognition through numerous exhibitions that have shared the work of Aristide Maillol. At the same time, its many acquisitions have enriched and completed its collections focused on the artist from Banyuls. Driven by Dina Vierny’s ambitious vision, the Foundation has proven its active role in the transmission and promotion of Maillol’s art, both in France and abroad, and continues to do so actively.