Virtual Tour

The Seasons

Maurice Denis, one of the Nabi painters and a theoretician on modern art, was commissioned by the noted Russian collector Ivan Morozov to paint a large fresco in his mansion in Moscow. Denis suggested to his Russian patron that he should decorate the corners of his salon with a group of life-size sculptures and entrust the execution of the works to his friend Maillol. The first two figures, Pomona and Flora, represent harvest time, and Summer and Spring the period of flowering. These sculptures were eventually given the title of "The Seasons".

With this group, Maillol constructed four female types that he would continue to work on throughout his life. Later in his career, for example, he produced a robed Pomona and, in contrast, a nude Flora.

The Summer, 1911
Bronze, 161 x 71 x 44 cm
Alexis Rudier
Private collection