Rippl-Rónai, Maillol

This exhibition focuses on the early careers and friendship of the Hungarian artist, József Rippl- Rónai, and Aristide Mailloil, the great French sculptor, who met in Paris around 1890. After the success of the Nabis exhibition in 1894, Rippl-Rónai became a member of the group and he encouraged Maillol to join. The artistic atmosphere of the Nabis encouraged Rippl-Rónai to try out new forms of art, including lithography, furniture design and glass. During this time Maillol wanted to be a painter. If we can believe the words of Rippl-Rónai he encouraged him to concentrate on sculpting. Maillol also designed huge, decorative carpets with the help of Clotilde. In 1899 they spent several months at Banyuls-sur-Mer, in Maillol's native land. These months proved to be a decisive turning point in Rippl-Rónai's art. He returned to Hungary with a brighter and more colourful palette. In the meantime, Maillol finally switched to sculpting; Ambroise Vollard exhibited his first, small, bronze statues. The friendship of the two artists continued. Exhibition: Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest, Hungary (17 December 2014 - 6 April 2015).