French sculptor Aristide Maillol (1861-1944) is sometimes referred to as the Cézanne of sculpture as he, like Paul Cézanne in the case of painting, paved the way for abstraction in his artistic field. Maillol began his career as a painter and produced a highly attractive body of work that is far too little known outside France. This book, published in conjunction with a comprehensive Maillol exhibition at the Kunsthaus Zürich, asks questions about the foundation of that male gaze at women that Maillols art reflects, and how we perceive it today against the background of current gender debates. Franca Candrians extraordinary photo essay confronts Maillols Vénus au collier with works by modern and contemporary women artists from the Kunsthaus Zürichs collection. An essay by feminist art historian and curator Catherine McCormack explores the presence of this artwhich in most cases depicts female nudesin contemporary museums. Supplemented by an introduction by Philippe Büttner, curator of Kunsthaus Zürichs permanent collection, the book thus offers a new, different view of Aristide Maillol and his art.

Das Kunsthaus Zürich ist eines der führenden Kunstmuseen Europas und seit 2021 das grösste der Schweiz. Seine Sammlung umfasst Werke vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart mit besonderen Schwerpunkten auf dem französischen Impressionismus und Postimpressionismus sowie der klassischen Moderne.