Virtual Tour

His Nabi period

Maillol, who was single-minded in his determination to become a painter, travelled as a young man to Paris in 1882 with the intention of studying at the École des Beaux-Arts. He was soon disappointed at the teaching of painting there and despaired of ever finding his path.

In 1889, he discovered the painting of Gauguin and was immediately drawn to the older artist’s use of plain hues and bright colours, the elimination of perspective and the decorative character of his work. In 1890, the Hungarian painter Rippl-Ronai introduced Maillol to the Nabi circle of artists, among them Édouard Vuillard, Pierre Bonnard, Maurice Denis and Paul Sérusier, who shared his admiration for Gauguin’s ideas and had a similar vision of painting.

The Wave, circa 1891
Oil on canvas, 95.5 x 89 cm
Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris
Inv. PPP 2279