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Maillol first met Dina Vierny when his was already 73 year old
and at that time she was only 15 years of age. But for the next ten years she became
his model and provided him with a tremendous amount of inspiration for his sculptures,
plus she uncannily resembled the face and body of the female figure he had already been
sculpting for years.
The two of them had a very close relationship and it was Dina Vierny who had posed for
Maillol with his most successful works, but she also posed for some of his contemporaries,
such as Matisse.
And although his bronze works of female nudes have the same sensual strength of some of Rodin's works, they are more serene and Maillol is now
often known as one of the first modern sculptors.
Dina Vierny had always been interested in art and had a great career as an art dealer and
also collected art herself. And it was after Mallol's death in 1944 that she decided
to set up The Foundation Dina Vierny - Musée Maillol, which is a small but very
manageable museum housing around 400 of the works of Aristide Maillol, but also 20th
century paintings that Vierny had collected herself.
But the museum did not come about until 1995 after her long successful career. And
although there are the permanent exhibits on display, such as the large bronze called La
Méditerranée, there are also changing displays from Dina's collection of art and you
could even get to see works by people like Renoir.
The temporary exhibitions are adventurous with unique themes and are always interesting
with a different point of view.
The Musee Maillol exhibits large collections of modern art with a wide range and
diversity, which were put together by Dina Vierny, and fascinated by primitivism, Dina
gathered an important collection of modern primitives, which are also shown in different
displays.
Yet you cannot fail but to admire the beautiful architecture of this 18th century
townhouse where the Musee Maillol is situated in the Latin Quarter of Paris, which Dina herself had restored to its former
glory.
The museum is open from 11am through to 6pm except for Tuesday's and Sunday's when it is
closed.
Address & Contact Details:
Fondation Dina Vierny - Musée Maillol
61 Rue de Grenelle
75007
Paris
France
Telephone: 1 42 22 59 58
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