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Malgré Tout

Malgré Tout is an 1898 sculpture by Jesús Fructuoso Contreras depicting a nude woman lying down and struggling against chains as she tries to rise. The title is French for “nevertheless” or “in spite of everything,” reflecting the work’s sense of persistence. Contreras created the sculpture after losing his right arm. Copies of the work are held in the Museo Nacional de Arte and in Alameda Central in Mexico City, as well as in the Aguascalientes Museum in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The original marble sculpture was first displayed in Alameda Central before being moved to the museum.

Malgré Tout, a light-colored stone sculpture of a reclining nude female figure on a rough base with the inscription \
Malgré Tout by Jesús F. Contreras, showing a reclining nude female figure carved in light stone.
July 2011 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Malgré Tout, a reclining unclothed female sculpture with bound ankles on a textured base.
Malgré Tout by Contreras, showing the reclining female figure and textured base with the title carved into it.
October 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Malgré Tout sculpture of a reclining nude woman on a museum display stand
Malgré Tout by Jesús F. Contreras, shown as a reclining nude sculpture on display in a museum.
September 2009 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Malgré Tout, a stone sculpture of a reclining woman with flowing hair on a wooden pedestal.
Malgré Tout, a reclining stone sculpture by Contreras, displayed in the museum hall.
October 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Malgré Tout sculpture of a reclining nude female figure in a grand museum interior
Malgré Tout by Contreras displayed on a plinth in the Museo Nacional de Arte vestibule.
October 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleMalgré tout
TypeSculpture

Historical context

StyleLate 19th-century fin-de-siècle modernist aesthetics
Date1898
Reason for title languageAccording to Justino Fernández, French influence prevailed at the end of the century
Title languageFrench
Creation contextCreated after the sculptor lost his right arm
ContextAssociated with the fin-de-siècle and French cultural influence among Mexican artists
Emotional characterExpresses romantic anguish and appeals more to emotion than to reason

Creator

Possible influencesLa Danaide (part of The Gates of Hell), The Cursed Women, and Donne dannate may have influenced the work
InfluencesInfluenced by major sculptors of his time, including Auguste Rodin
TrainingContreras studied in France
Contacts in FranceHe was friends with Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
ArtistJesús Fructuoso Contreras

Discovery and provenance

Acquired in1901
Acquired byNational School of Fine Arts
PresentedPresented at the National Casino in 1898

Physical characteristics

Surface treatmentThe female figure has a smooth, polished texture, contrasted with an irregular lower section or base with strong chiaroscuro effects
MaterialMarble

Technique

Production processModeled in clay and later carved in marble

Appearance

ExpressionHer face is turned forward in a gesture of longing
SubjectA nude woman lying down, chained and shackled, struggling to rise

Iconography and meaning

InterpretationAccording to MUNAL, it expresses the universality of human distress caused by curtailed freedom

Location and ownership

Original display locationAlameda Central
Later location of originalMuseo Nacional de Arte, Mexico City
Copy locationsMuseo Nacional de Arte, Alameda Central, and Aguascalientes Museum in Aguascalientes, Mexico

History and restoration

Later display historyThe original marble sculpture was later moved to the museum after being displayed in Alameda Central for about 50 years; a copy was placed in Alameda Central in the 1920s
RestorationRestored before being moved to the Museo Nacional de Arte in 1983

Significance

AwardGrand Prize of Sculpture at the 1900 Paris Universal Exposition
HonorCross of the Legion of Honor of the French Republic
RecognitionJules Claretie, president of the French Academy, congratulated Contreras and called him "the most relevant sculptor of the Mexican school"
Influence on later worksInfluenced the tomb of Julio Ruelas by Arnulfo Domínguez Bello (1907) and Après l'orgie by Fidencio Nava (1909)
Musical homageIn 1900, Manuel M. Ponce composed a piano piece titled Malgré tout as a tribute to Contreras
Performance of homage piecePonce performed the piece in 1904 at a poetic vigil for the recently deceased Contreras to raise funds for a monument in his memory

Other

Conceptual versionIn 2007, Lorena Wolffer created a conceptual version of the work
Conceptual version formIt consisted of an image of the sculpture with numbered targets referring to articles of the Federal District Penal Code
Conceptual version purposeTo highlight the sanctions applicable to murders and cases of violence
ProjectMonumenta
Project participantsMaris Bustamante, Mónica Mayer, Mónica Castillo, Lorena Wolffer, Verena Grimm, Minerva Cuevas, and Fabiola Torres-Alzaga
Project focusInterventions on monuments representing women in Mexico City on International Women's Day 2007
Exhibition aimTo question female representations in public spaces, especially nude women, and violence against women