Featured Artist  – Alberto Giacometti (1901 – 1966)
20th Century Swiss Artist

Alberto Giacometti

Alberto Giacometti 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 Surrealistic influences in order 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 self-critical nature led to great doubts about his work and his ability to do justice to his own artistic ideas but acted as a great motivating force. Between 1936 and 1940, Giacometti concentrated his sculpting on the human head, focusing on the sitter’s gaze. He often carved until his sculpted figures were as thin as nails and reduced to the size of a pack of cigarettes, much to his consternation. After his marriage his tiny sculptures became larger, but the larger they grew, the thinner they became. For the remainder of Giacometti’s life, Annette was his main female model. His paintings underwent a parallel procedure. The figures appear isolated and severely attenuated, as the result of continuous reworking.

Alberto Giacometti- Grande donna - 1960

Alberto Giacometti’s  “Grande Donna” 1960

Alberto Giacometti - The Guardian - 1965

Alberto Giacometti’s  “The Guardian” 1965

Alberto Giacometti ‘s “The-Hand” 1947