Alberto Giacometti | MoMA
Wikipedia entry
Introduction
Alberto Giacometti (, US also , Italian: [alˈbɛrto dʒakoˈmetti]; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and printmaker. Beginning in 1922, he lived and worked mainly in Paris but regularly visited his hometown Borgonovo to see his family and work on his art. Giacometti was one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. His work was particularly influenced by artistic styles such as Cubism and Surrealism. Philosophical questions about the human condition, as well as existential and phenomenological debates played a significant role in his work. Around 1935 he gave up on his Surrealist influences to pursue a more deepened analysis of figurative compositions. Giacometti wrote texts for periodicals and exhibition catalogues and recorded his thoughts and memories in notebooks and diaries. His critical nature led to self-doubt about his own work and his self-perceived inability to do justice to his own artistic vision. His insecurities nevertheless remained a powerful motivating artistic force throughout his entire life. Between 1938 and 1944 Giacometti's sculptures had a maximum height of seven centimeters (2.75 inches). Their small size reflected the actual distance between the artist's position and his model. In this context he self-critically stated: "But wanting to create from memory what I had seen, to my terror the sculptures became smaller and smaller". After World War II, Giacometti created his most famous sculptures: his extremely tall and slender figurines. These sculptures were subject to his individual viewing experience—between an imaginary yet real, a tangible yet inaccessible space. In Giacometti's whole body of work, his painting constitutes only a small part. After 1957, however, his figurative paintings were equally as present as his sculptures. The almost monochrome paintings of his late work do not refer to any other artistic styles of modernity.
Wikidata
Q157194
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Getty record
Introduction
Giacometti was a Swiss artist who is best known for his lanky sculptures of solitary figures. At a young age it became apparent he was extremely adept in the fine arts. Encouragement from his father, Giovanni and his godfather, Cuno Amiet (both painters) lead him to pursue an artistic career. Between 1922 and 1925, Giacometti studied at the Académie de la Grande-Chaumiére in Paris. His brother Diego was a furniture designer as well as Giacometti's model and studio assistant; his brother Bruno was an architect.
Nationality
Swiss
Gender
Male
Roles
Artist, Genre Artist, Portraitist, Painter, Sculptor
Names
Alberto Giacometti, Alberṭo Gʼaḳomeṭi
Ulan
500118871
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Information from Getty’s Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License

Works

84 works online

Exhibitions

View all 114 exhibitions

Publications

  • MoMA Highlights: 375 Works from The Museum of Modern Art Introduction by Glenn D. Lowry, 2019 Flexibound, 408 pages
  • MoMA Now: Highlights from The Museum of Modern Art—Ninetieth Anniversary Edition Introduction by Glenn D. Lowry, 2019 Hardcover, 424 pages
  • Alberto Giacometti Edited by Tobia Bezzola, Christian Klemm, Carolyn Lanchner, and Anne Umland, 2001 Exhibition catalogue, Hardcover, 296 pages
  • Alberto Giacometti Edited by Tobia Bezzola, Christian Klemm, Carolyn Lanchner, and Anne Umland, 2001 Exhibition catalogue, Paperback, 296 pages
  • A Giacometti Portrait James Lord, 1965 Exhibition catalogue, Paperback, pages
  • Alberto Giacometti Inga Forslund and Peter Selz, 1965 Exhibition catalogue, Clothbound, pages
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