FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Maillol’s Miniatures
On view March 7 through August 18, 2008
Norton Simon Museum
411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91105
Located on the corner of Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevards at the intersection of the Foothill 210 and Ventura 134 freeways. Parking is free.
Contact: Leslie Denk, Marketing and Communications Manager
Tel: (626) 844-6941, Fax: (626) 796-4978
E-mail: ldenk@nortonsimon.org
Web site: http://www.nortonsimon.org
Hours: The Museum is open every day except Tuesday, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday.
Admission: $8.00 for adults; $4.00 for seniors; free for Museum members, students with ID, and patrons 18 and under. The first Friday of every month from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. is free for all visitors.
Aristide Maillol, French, 1861-1944
Seated Nude, 1932, Marble, 12-1/2 x 11 x 5-1/8 inches
Jennifer Jones Simon Art Trust
N.1967.5.S
© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
Pasadena, CA— Between 1964 and 1980, art collector Norton Simon purchased close to 50 sculptures by artist Aristide Maillol (French, 1861-1944), many of which can be found in the Norton Simon Museum’s galleries and gardens. Maillol’s Miniatures, an intimate exhibition presented at the Norton Simon Museum this spring, examines those small-scale sculptures by Maillol which are not normally on view. These 15 works, some of them artist’s proofs, were used by Maillol as study pieces, and thus provide a better understanding of the artist’s working methods. Indeed, a number of these objects served as the impetus and inspiration for his monumental lead sculptures, three of which can be seen in the Museum’s garden.
Maillol was born to humble beginnings on December 8, 1861, in Banyuls-sur-Mer, France. His small childhood home, owned by his aunt Lucie, later became a winter retreat from his studio and tapestry workshop. Maillol was accepted into the École des Beaux-Arts in 1885, after several attempts at admission. He was inspired, encouraged and praised by contemporaries and fellow artists such as Paul Gauguin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Émile Bernard. After years of creating intricate tapestries, he abandoned this medium because of the toll the highly detailed creations were taking on his vision. He then turned to sculpture, a more visceral art form that did not strain his failing eyesight. Finally, in 1896, Maillol began exhibiting his wood carvings, wax statuettes and ceramic objects, slowly gaining success as the years progressed.
As a sculptor, Maillol was fascinated with and inspired by the female form. In his early years, he claimed very rarely to sculpt from a live model, instead preferring to imagine poses, shape and form. The result was a very modern approach—turning away from the overly detailed style of then-contemporary sculpture and toward a very fresh, simplistic and stylized form. As Maillol put it, “I am not interested in particulars. What interests me is the general idea.”
Later in his life, Maillol worked very closely with Dina Vierny, who over the course of ten years posed for many of Maillol’s famous sculptures, including those that grace the garden of the Museum. Included in the installation is a video of an interview with Dina Vierny, now the president of the Musée Maillol in Paris. Filmed in the summer of 2007, the interview offers a rare glimpse into Madame Vierny’s association with Maillol, as well as the story of Norton Simon’s interest in Maillol’s artworks.
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General Norton Simon Museum Information
Location: The Norton Simon Museum is located at 411 West Colorado Blvd. at Orange Grove Blvd. in Pasadena, California, at the intersection of the Foothill (210) and Ventura (134) freeways. For general Museum information, please call (626) 449-6840 or visit http://www.nortonsimon.org.
Hours: The Museum is open every day except Tuesday, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday.
Admission: General admission is $8.00 for adults and $4.00 for seniors. Members, students with I.D., and patrons age 18 and under are admitted free of charge. Admission is free for everyone on the first Friday of every month from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. All public programs, unless stated otherwise, are free. The Museum is wheelchair accessible.
Parking: Parking is free and no reservations are necessary.
Public Transportation: The City of Pasadena provides a shuttle bus to transport passengers through the Pasadena Playhouse district, Lake Street shopping district, and Old Pasadena. A shuttle stop is located in front of the Museum. Please visit http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us for schedules. The MTA Bus Line #180/181 stops in front of the Museum. The Memorial Park Station on the MTA Gold Line is the closest Metro Rail station to the Museum, located at 125 East Holly Street and Arroyo Parkway. Please visit http://www.mta.net for schedules.
