Maximilien Fiot was born in 1886 in Touraine (Le Grand-Pressigny). Fiot began an apprenticeship with the sculptor Prosper Lecourtier, who had himself studied with Fremiet, and made a career as an animal sculptor, dogs being his main specialty. For his first appearance at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1904, Fiot exhibited a plaster dog. At the time, he was only eighteen and led a very modest existence, living in a small house in Nogent-sur-Marne, a village in the countryside just outside Paris, a region much favored by Impressionist painters. The following year, he was awarded a Medal of Honor. This was followed by a bronze medal in 1911 and a silver one in 1913.

After the First World War, Fiot worked on several war memorials. He continued to exhibit at the “Salon des Artistes Français”, becoming a member in the 1920s. Fiot sculpted birds, horses, dogs, felines and wild animals from French forests, including his group of wild boars and a Fawn, which he exhibited at the 1928 Salon.

He was a naturalist sculptor, a contemporary of Pompon. He did not stylize his models, but depicted them in the serene attitudes of their daily lives. His style is modern, dynamic and refined, distinguishing him from other sculptors of his time, whose more static works are marked by the Art Deco style. Fiot's bronzes are distinguished by their observation of movement, giving his subjects vitality and a striking likeness.

Most of his works were reproduced in bronze by the Susse foundry, using the lost-wax process. Some of his early bronzes were cast by other foundries. He also produced original terracottas, which may have been preparatory studies for his stone pieces. He often depicts animals in pairs or groups. At the 1933 Salon, he won a gold medal, which placed him out of the competition, i.e. excluded from future competitions. He continued to work until his death in 1953 in Corbeil, Essonne.