Virtual Tour

The 1930s and 40s

In 1934, Maillol met a very young girl who made a great impression on him because she so closely resembled one of his works: Dina Vierny had just entered his life. She was to become his principal model for the next ten years. She was also his muse, spokeswoman and collaborator, giving him the inspiration that motivated him to embark on new phase in his monumental sculpture and at the same time to return to painting.

Between the tension of Action in Chains (1905) and the gentleness of Harmony (1940-1944), Maillol imagined countless variations on a single theme-the female body-and founded a new aesthetic of the human figure at the very moment when modern art was abandoning it.

Les dues Dines o Dues noies vora el riu,1939
Oil on canvas, 130 x 98 cm
Dina Vierny Collection, Paris