Virtual Tour

Maillol's decorative arts period 

In the late 1880s, Maillol, who remained dissatisfied as a painter, turned to tapestry, encouraged by the example of Gauguin and his reflections on the decorative arts. He set up a studio in Banyuls and, as he was an expert on the subject, introduced natural pigments into his weaving. He was fired with enthusiasm by the results. Even so, he continued his explorations in painting, to which he soon added other investigations in pottery. The nude made its first appearance in his canvas The Wave and was thenceforth the main subject of his work.

In 1902, however, he suffered from a serious eye infection, forcing him to give up tapestry, as it is extremely tiring for the eyes. This turn of events dismayed him, since he was convinced he had found a form of self-expression, and had achieved a degree of recognition, in tapestry.

Aristides Maillol / André Metthey Yellow Vase. Dancers and Flowers, 1907
Pottery, 24 x 15.7 cm
Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris