Monument for Debussy

Artist Aristide Maillol (French, 1861-1944)

Place of OriginFrance

Date1930

DimensionsH: 35 in. (88.9 cm); L (base): 15 3/8 in. (39.1 cm); W: 29 1/2 in. (74.9 cm)

MediumBronze

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1934.60

Not on View

Label TextBelieving that the female form embodies the essence of natural beauty, Aristide Maillol devoted himself almost exclusively to modeling single female figures when he began sculpting at around age 40 (see the two books featuring woodcuts by Maillol in this gallery). This sculpture exudes quiet dignity, serenity, and simplicity. A gentle rhythm of gracefully curving lines runs from the bowed head along the sloping back to the extended arms. This linearity contrasts with the weightiness of the woman’s rounded forms. Detail is kept to a minimum—the woman’s body can be broken down into a small number of compact geometric forms. The figure was originally designed for a public memorial to the composer Claude Debussy (1862–1918). Maillol’s first Monument to Debussy, carved in white marble, was unveiled on July 9, 1930, at Debussy’s birthplace, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris. Maillol subsequently made a plaster model of the monument from which six full-size bronzes were cast. This version is the first cast made, which Maillol kept for himself until 1932.Published ReferencesToledo Museum News, no. 76, September 1936, pp. 1067-1070, repr. cover, p. 1069.

"Toledo Museum Acquires a Maillol Bronze," Art Digest, vol. 11, October 11, 1936, p. 11, repr.

Davis, Richard S., "Art Institute Acquires Important Bronze Sculpture by Aristide Maillol," Minneapolis Institute of Arts Bulletin, February 24, 1951, pp. 42-47, repr. p. 47. (TMA bronze lent to Maillol Exhibition).

Lyons, Lisa, "Aristide Maillol: Monument to Debussy," Toledo Museum News, New Series, vol. 17, no. 3, 1974, pp. 62-64, repr. p. 63-64.

Ocvirk, Otto G., et al., Art Fundamentals: Theory and Practice, 3rd ed. Dubuque, 1975, p. 151, repr. fig. 192.

Coleman, Ronald L., Sculpture: A Basic Handbook for Students, Dubuque, 1968, p. 18, repr. fig. 53.

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Treasures, Toledo, 1995, p. 161, repr. (col.).

Exhibition HistoryMinneapolis Institute of Arts, Masterpieces by Maillol, 1951.

Toledo Museum of Art, Maillol, 1958 (Not in the catalogue. Added for the Toledo showing to the exhibition circulated by Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York).

Toledo Museum of Art, What is Modern Art?, March 1960.

Toledo Museum of Art, Drawn from Classicism: Modern Artists’ Books, September 9-December 10, 2017.

Comparative ReferencesSee also Cladel, Judith, Aristide Maillol, Paris, 1937, pp. 116-117, repr. pl. 32 (Discusses conception of the figure and its marble version). Cf. "Study for Debussy Monument," Philadelphia Museum Bulletin, vol. 51, no. 250, Summer 1956, p. 78 (reproduces a drawing of c. 1931)