18 May – 15 September 2024
Of Grandeur and Grace – Maillol and Sintenis
The exhibition ‘Of Grandeur and Grace - Maillol and Sintenis’ at the Oskar Reinhart Collection ‘Am Römerholz’ is the first to juxtapose sculptures, prints and drawings by two influential artists at the beginning of the 20th century: Aristide Maillol (1861-1944) and Renée Sintenis (1888-1965).
At the centre of the exhibition is the main work and special jewel of the collection - Aristide Maillol's La Méditerranée from 1905-07, which Maillol created in stone on commission from his patron Harry Graf Kessler. This key work for the development of 20th century sculpture entered the Oskar Reinhart Collection in 1931. In the collection's Picture Gallery, it can now be compared with other versions of the same format for the first time. The marble version from the Musée d'Orsay and the plaster sculpture from the Musée Maillol have travelled from Paris to Winterthur especially for the exhibition. The theme of different materialities is further explored by means of numerous small sculptures, reliefs and even a textile work.
The motif of the seated woman preoccupied Maillol throughout his life. The interplay between the upright and reclining leg is common to all the different versions with their culmination in La Méditerranée. Maillol’s approach to and study of different sitting postures can be traced in the exhibition on the basis of a good twenty figures – the curation illustrates Maillol's constant search for the ideal form – which was found in a gradual reduction, not quite as radical, though, as to cross the threshold to pure abstraction.
Maillol's artistic career is contrasted with the work of Renée Sintenis. The Berlin sculptor created her subjects, predominantly young animals, smaller and more fragile than Maillol's mostly female nude figures. Renée Sintenis was a star in Berlin in the 1920s. The artist was particularly successful with her animal figures. Her Berlinale bear is still widely recognised today and a symbol of the city.
Despite their differences, Maillol and Sintenis held each other in high esteem and were also supported by the same patron - Harry Graf Kessler. A separate chapter is dedicated to him in the exhibition, which shows him both as a patron and commissioner of lavish book editions and sculptures.
Never before have the two artists been featured in a mutual exhibition. This is striking as their works are surprisingly often found together in the same collection – such as the ‘Am Römerholz’ collection - and both were represented by the same gallery owner in Germany.
These points of connection and similarities, but also the differences in the work of Maillol and Sintenis, can be discovered in the exhibition. Based on a cooperation between the Oskar Reinhart Collection and the Musée d'Orsay Paris, the exhibition is complemented by high-profile international loans from leading European museums and collections such as the Städel Museum Frankfurt, the Petit Palais Paris and the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Rotterdam. In addition, privately owned works are being shown to the public for the first time, and another minor sensation is the loan from the Courtauld Gallery in London - a painting by Renoir showing the famous art dealer Ambroise Vollard with a fragile terracotta figure by Maillol. This painting is now leaving the London collection for the first time and will meet this very sculpture in the exhibition – a true art historical gem.
On the occasion of the exhibition, Hirmer Verlag is publishing a catalogue in two language versions, German as well as French: Von Grösse und Grazie – Maillol und Sintenis (title of the German version) invites you to delve deeper into the connections between Maillol and Sintenis.
Further information about the exhibition and press photos to download can be found at: www.roemerholz.ch or sormedien@bak.admin.ch
A varied program complements the exhibition; you can find the current program on our website: www.roemerholz.ch
The exhibition was curated by Kerstin Richter and Katja Baumhoff.