Aristide Maillol

Galerie Dina Vierny, Paris

Norton Simon Foundation, Fullerton, California (acquired from the above in October 1967 and sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 20, 1982, lot 210)

Sale: Sotheby's, New York, November 5, 2002, lot 47

Sidney Frank Trust (acquired at the above sale and sold: Sotheby's, London, June 19, 2006, lot 50)

Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman

Fullerton, California, Fullerton Library (on loan 1967-68)

Los Angeles, County Museum of Art, Sculpture from the Collections of Norton Simon Inc., and the Hunt Industries Museum of Modern Art, 1968-69

San Francisco, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Three Centuries of French Art, 1973-74, no. 56

Pasadena, Norton Simon Museum (on loan 1975-82)

John Rewald, Maillol, Paris, 1939, illustration of another cast pl. 63

John Rewald, Maillol: Collection des maîtres, Paris, 1950, illustration of another cast pl. 42

Hermann Uhde-Bernays, Aristide Maillol, Dresden, 1957, illustration of another cast pl. 3

Waldemar George, Maillol, Paris, 1971, illustration of another cast p. 22

Waldemar George, Aristide Maillol et l'âme de la sculpture, Neuchâtel, 1977, illustration of another cast p. 22

Bertrand Lorquin, Aristide Maillol, London, 1995, illustration in color of another cast p. 109

Please contact the Impressionist and Modern Art Department at (212) 606-7360 for the condition report for this lot.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Maillol's sculpture of Vénus first achieved widespread recognition when he exhibited the plaster at the Salon d'Automne in 1928. In his quest for perfection, Maillol laboured for fifteen years in order to achieve just the right curvature of the legs. Like his contemporary Henri Matisse, the artist believed that the natural contours and essential beauty of the feminine form were best communicated through the use of simple, elegant line. According to John Rewald, "To celebrate the human body, particularly the feminine body, seems to have been Maillol's only aim. He did this in a style from which all grandiloquence is absent, a style almost earthbound and grave, where static poses and contained gestures convey an impression of gravity and stability" (J. Rewald, Aristide Maillol [exhibition catalogue], New York, 1958-60, pp. 6-7).  As Bertrand Lorquin noted of Vénus, the torso "is a work of art in itself. It is perhaps one of the most accomplished pieces of sculpture in his entire oeuvre" (B. Lorquin, op. cit., p. 107).

Maillol received inspiration from the art of many cultures, including the sculpture of ancient Egypt, the Hindu carvings of India and the white marbles of classical Greece. According to the artist himself, 'In Greek art, there is nothing more beautiful than the Vénus de Milo' (quoted in Aristide Maillol [exhibition catalogue], Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, 1945, p. 22). For Maillol, the Vénus de Milo reflected an inherent serenity independent of emotional implications or overt narrative. Although he rejected naturalism in art, he admired the refined contours that revealed the sensuality and quiet grace of pure form. Having finally found this success with his own Vénus, Maillol subsequently created two versions of the figure, one with a necklace and the other without, of which the present work is an example.

According to Olivier Lorquin, the present bronze was cast in an edition of twelve.