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Maillol studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1881 and was encouraged and supported by Paul Gauguin. His mature works all consist of the female body with a classical emphasis on form. His work is seen as an important precursor to the simplifications of Henry Moore and Alberto Giacometti. His classicism set the standard for European (and American) figure sculpture until the end of World War I. Three of his bronzes can be seen in the grand staircase of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. He was born in Banyuls-sur-Mer, Roussillon and always proclaimed his Catalan identity. |