La Piscine – Museum of Art and Industry André Diligent: A Passion for Sculpture

Since its opening in 2001, La Piscine has encountered remarkable success both in terms of media coverage and public reception. Its collections have significantly expanded, with sculpture holding a prominent position. Fifteen years later, expansion work became necessary, and upon its reopening in 2018, Aristide Maillol is honored. To represent the sculptor in the permanent collection, the Musée d’Orsay decides to loan a major piece, the “Torse de L’Ile-de-France” in stone.

This Maillol retrospective thus provides robust resonance with the museum’s permanent collection, abounding in sculptures from the first half of the 20th century.

The challenge of this exhibition lies in reinstating Maillol within the modernity of the 20th century, offering a profound interpretation of the artist’s works and sources.

Works loaned by the Musée Maillol

The stop in Roubaix for the exhibition also provides the opportunity to admire loans from the Musée Maillol in the context of a new setting. La Fondation Dina Vierny – Musée Maillol makes available a selection of works, showing the diverse artistic diversity, including paintings, embroideries, ceramics, engravings, decorative arts, and sculptures.

All the more reasons to visit!

The early career is illustrated by loans such as “La Maison Rose” and “Tante Lucie.” Representing the house where Maillol grew up and his aunt who raised him, these two paintings encapsulate the artist’s childhood in the South of France, as well as his initial artistic influences, including the painter James Abbott McNeill Whistler.

“Jeune femme de profil au chapeau” allows us to evoke the practice of stylized portraits of young girls around the 1890s. With a great economy of means, Maillol focuses his attention on the headwear of his model, endowing it with all its nobility.

“Jeune fille cueillant des herbes” is, in fact, a preparatory drawing for a tapestry now unknown. Maillol’s affinity for decorative arts is characteristic of the Nabis, a group with which he had a close association, sharing their desire to eliminate the hierarchy between Fine Arts and applied arts, aiming to infuse “beauty” into everyday life.

In 1910, Russian industrialist Ivan Morozov commissioned four sculptures from Maillol on the theme of the seasons. The 1911 bronze cast at the Maillol Museum illustrates this turning point in the artist’s career when he received his first prestigious commission. As an allegorical representation of summer, Maillol portrays a ribbon-adorned bather with voluptuous forms, basking in the sun.

Exhibition view of “Aristide Maillol (1861-1944). La quête de l’harmonie» featuring “L’Eté”, 1911, bronze, 163 x 71 x 44 cm – © Alain Leprince

The loan of “Syringe” allows us to delve into Maillol’s lesser-known roles as an engraver and illustrator. This ink print, created in 1937, serves to illustrate the ancient novel “Daphnis and Chloé” by Longus. Maillol’s style is extremely linear due to the wood engraving technique employed.

In addition to Maillol’s own creations, those of his contemporaries and friends complete the comprehensive overview of his life and work. In Roubaix, La Piscine benefits from an exceptional loan, Edouard Vuillard’s portrait of Maillol working in his Marly garden, part of his “Anabaptistes“ series.