by Redazione 31/10/2026
Categories: Exhibitions / Disclaimer
Starting January 13, 2027, the Musée Maillol will trace the life of the model, gallery owner, and collector—a leading figure in the 20th-century art scene who was also involved in the clandestine smuggling of works by nonconformist artists out of the USSR.
From Aristide Maillol ’s model to her involvement in the Resistance during World War II, and on to her work as a gallery owner and collector: the Musée Maillol in Paris is dedicating an exhibition to Dina Vierny that traces her life and her many connections to the art and history of the 20th century. Opening on January 13, 2027, the exhibition will, exceptionally, occupy all three levels of the museum, bringing together paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, and previously unseen archival documents. Curated by Thierry Dufrêne, professor of art history at the Université Paris Nanterre and curator of the “Surréalisme” exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in 2024, the exhibition connects the works of artists inspired, collected, and supported by Vierny, reconstructing their personal and professional stories. The project also marks the beginning of a new phase for the institution, whose artistic direction returns to the founder’s grandsons, Pierre and Alexandre Lorquin.
In 1934, at the age of fifteen, Vierny met Maillol and became his last major model. While their relationship helped inspire the sculptor, she devoted much of her life to preserving his work, eventually founding two museums in his memory. Her journey, however, extended far beyond this connection: close to the youth of the Popular Front, she was active in the Resistance and was imprisoned during the war. After the war, she established herself as a gallery owner and collector, supporting artists with diverse artistic approaches, from Henri Matisse to Marcel Duchamp and Serge Poliakoff. Beginning in the 1960s, she also traveled to the Soviet Union, helping to smuggle out works by nonconformist artists, including Ilya Kabakov and Erik Bulatov.
Her curiosity extended beyond the art world. After meeting Poliakoff, who had come to the gallery to show her his paintings, Vierny exhibited his work and helped launch his first major success. On one occasion, she stood in for a singer at a Parisian cabaret, accompanied on guitar by the artist himself. A bookseller by night and a tireless collector, she went on to amass over eighty collections, including dolls, automata, and vintage carriages, which were rented out to film productions.
The exhibition also marks the reopening of the Musée Maillol – Fondation Dina Vierny. After fifteen years of programming entrusted to external entities, Pierre and Alexandre Lorquin aim to reaffirm Maillol’s modernity and foster dialogue with contemporary art. The project includes a new visual identity designed by the Z-O-O agency, reception areas reimagined by designer Nathan Baranes, and the opening to the public of a 300-square-meter paved courtyard that was previously inaccessible. In the basement, PADAM—a restaurant by Laurent de Gourcuff of the Paris Society group—is opening, with interiors designed by Daphné Desjeux, inspired by the musical spirit of the old dressing rooms at the Fontaine des Quatre-Saisons, the famous cabaret on the Left Bank. Following the tribute to Vierny, the program will continue with a retrospective on Séraphine de Senlis, organized in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou-Metz.
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| Dina Vierny, from Maillol’s muse to resistance fighter: Paris is dedicating an exhibition to her |
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