About the Artist
Aristide Maillol
Aristide Maillol (1861–1944) was a French sculptor, painter, and printmaker born in Banyuls-sur-Mer, Roussillon. He moved to Paris in 1881 to study art, enrolling in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1885. Influenced by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes and Paul Gauguin, Maillol's early work was focused on painting, later shifting to tapestry design. In 1893, he opened a tapestry workshop in Banyuls, gaining recognition for his contributions to the art form. By 1895, Maillol turned to sculpture, creating his first major piece, *A Seated Woman*, modeled after his wife. His mature works focused on the female body, with a classical style that influenced sculptors like Henry Moore and set a standard for figure sculpture in Europe and America until the end of World War II.
