Aristide Maillol, the French sculptor, draftsman and painter, was born in Banyuls-sur-Mer on December 8, 1861.
He was the fourth child of the family. Aristide Bonaventure Jean Maillol was entrusted to his two aunts, Lucie and Claire, to relieve his parents whose father was a clothier and had no time for the boy. He attended the council school of Banyuls but he was shy and reserved and socilaized little. At 12 years of age he was sent to Perpignan to continue its studies. As a boarder of the Institute Saint-Louis, he was very unhappy. He painted his first painting at 14 yrs. of age. Once he finishes his schooling, he asked his aunt Lucie for permission to study painting in Paris. He persuades his aunt, who gives him her blessing and a modest sum of money. He departs and quickly becomes under nourished and enters the hospital in Paris. Later, he obtains a stipend from the municipality of Perpignan for 20 francs a month. He lives poorly in the years around 1882 but he becomes a painter.
He began his career as a painter and tapestry designer, but after around 1900, he devoted himself to three-dimensional work, becoming one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. He concentrated almost exclusively on the nude female figure in the round, consciously wishing to strip form of all literary associations and architectural context. Although inspired by the Classical tradition of Greek and Roman sculpture, his figures have all the elemental sensuousness and dignity associated with the Mediterranean peasant.
Aristide Maillol died at age 83 in 1944.
The eminent artist's last model, Dina Vierny, has dedicated herself to preserving and perpetuating the legacy of his life's work. Today you can enjoy the sensuous sculptural work of Aristide Maillol, along with important works by Gauguin, Bonnard, Kandinsky, Degas, Matisse, Dufy and Picasso.
The Musée Maillol in Paris sits next to the Fontaine des Quatre-Saisons in the sumptuous Hôtel Bouchardon. The facade is embellished by the famous sculpture by Edmé Bouchardon "The Fountain of the Four Seasons".
Musée Maillol
Foundation Dina Vierny
59-61 rue de Grenelle
75007 Paris, Ile-de-France
+(01)-42-22-59-58
Musée Maillol
Open: 11am-6pm daily except Tuesdays.
Admission: approx. 7 Euros
Metro: Rue du Bac
Musée Maillol Banyuls sur Mer
Vallée de la Roume
66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, Languedoc-Roussillon / Pyrénées Orientales
+(04)- 68 88 57 11
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