Aristide Maillol exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay - Our pictures

From April 12 to August 21, 2022, the Musée d’Orsay dedicates an exhibition to Aristide Maillol called “Aristide Maillol, la quête de l’harmonie” – Aristide Maillol, the quest for harmony. An exhibition created in partnership with the Musée de l’Orangerie, the Oskar Reinhart Collection in Winterthur, Kunsthaus Zürich, the Piscine in Roubaix and the Fondation Dina Vierny – Musée Maillol, in Paris.

An artist who has not got a monography in Paris for over sixty years… From April 12 to August 21, 2022, the musée d'Orsay invites you to discover an exhibition focusing on works by Aristide Maillol called “Aristide Maillol, la quête de l'harmonie” – Aristide Maillol, the quest for harmony. A monography offering you to discover the sculptor, often opposed to Rodin, in a new light through sculptures, drawings and sketching pads.

The exhibition shines a light on the artist’s “fruitful and unknown” period, right prior to WWI. Cocurated by the Fondation Dina Vierny - Musée Maillol, as well as the Musée de l’Orangerie, the Oskar Reinhart Collection in Winterthur, Kunsthaus Zürich, and the Piscine in Roubaix, this retrospective also shows Aristide Maillol as one of the major players in the birth of modernity at the beginning of the 20^th century.

In all, over 200 pieces of work are displayed – including 90 sculptures – as well as drawings, engravings, paintings and more decorative arts – in dialog with works from contemporary artists such as Rodin, Maurice Denis, Pierre Bonnard, Auguste Renoir or even Edouard Vuillard. These works shine a light on the “fruitful exchanges made with his friends and relationships”, and enabling to understand “the work steps of an artist fascinated by the plastic possibilities of the female body”.

The musée d'Orsay shines a light on these sculptures and paintings creating a dialogue between them. One can attend the artist's creative process, his inspirations, influences and more. All-rounder, the artist worked with plaster as well as wood, fabric or oil paints. Fascinated by nude, he never rested until he recreated the body of his muses, models elevated by the artist' eye.

A chronological tour also presenting the artist in a themed fashion in two specific areas: Maillol le Catalan, dedicated to his “affection for his native land and personality”, and Modèles focusing on “the diversity of women and men who posed for him”. An exhibition that all sculpture fans should discover… Shall we go, friends?

Practical information