Aristide Maillol

Aristide Maillol , 1861-1944, French sculptor, woodcut artist, and painter. At first a painter, Maillol studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and then allied himself with the Nabis . In his forties he turned to sculpture and quickly developed his characteristic style, creating strong, energetic nude figures of women. His affinity to classical sculpture was strengthened by a trip to Greece in 1908. Maillol's massive nudes were idealized, yet endowed with robustness and an impressive controlled tension. The River and several other works are in the Museum of Modern Art, New York City. Maillol also made woodcuts illustrating Daphnis and Chloë and the works of Ovid and Vergil. A museum devoted mainly to his works opened in Paris in 1995.

Bibliography: See his catalogue raisonné (in French) by M. Guérin (2 vol., 1965-67); his woodcuts, ed. by J. Rewald (1943); biography by J. Rewald (1975).

Maillol, Aristide (1861–1944) French sculptor. Initially a painter and tapestry designer, after 1900 Maillol concentrated on sculpture and in particular the female nude. He rejected the fluid forms and Romanticism of Rodin in favour of classical ideals. Works include Mediterranean (1901) and Night (1902).