RIP Dina Vierny, Model And Muse For Art's Masters

Dina Vierny was 15 when she began modeling for Aristide Maillol. A friend of her father's spotted her at a party and told the sculptor, "I have met a girl who is a living Maillol. You must meet her."

NPR interviewed her shortly before her death on January 20 of this year at the age of 89. She was an inspiration to many artists of the time including Matisse and Bonnard. She was instrumental in restoring Maillol's home and studio in the hills of Banyuls-sur-Mer in the south of France and in creating a lovely museum in Paris devoted to his work. She lived above the museum until her death. I am grateful for the legacy she created.

I didn't know much about Aristide Maillol until I visited Banyuls last spring and made the hike up to his beautiful home. I visited the China Gold exhibit at the Maillol Museum in Paris in September. Below are a few photos I took on these trips.