Alberto Giacometti

Lore & Background

Giacometti’s appearance was lean and intense, his gaunt frame mirroring the elongated figures he would later make famous. His range as an artist encompassed sculpture, painting, drawing, and printmaking, though his painted works—mostly figurative and nearly monochrome after 1957—formed only a small portion of his total output. He lived and worked mainly in Paris from 1922 onward, but regularly returned to his birthplace of Borgonovo, Switzerland, to see family and create art. His habitat was a simple studio at 46 rue Hippolyte-Maindron in Montparnasse, which also served as his residence for the rest of his life. Defining characteristics of his work include a deep engagement with Cubism and Surrealism, which he abandoned around 1935 to focus on figurative compositions. Philosophical questions about the human condition, existentialism, and phenomenology shaped his art. Between 1938 and 1944, his sculptures shrank to a maximum height of seven centimeters, reflecting the actual distance between him and his model; he later described his terror at seeing them become smaller as he worked from memory. After World War II, he created his most famous pieces: extremely tall, slender figurines that existed in a space both imaginary and real, tangible yet inaccessible. His critical nature caused persistent self-doubt, yet this insecurity drove his artistic vision throughout his life.

Reader's Guide

Beginning in 1922, Giacometti lived and worked mainly in Paris, though he regularly returned to his Swiss hometown of Borgonovo to see family and create art. Initially influenced by Cubism and Surrealism, he became a leading Surrealist sculptor, creating works that explored themes central to that movement, including one notable piece engaging with sexual violence and misogynistic imagery. He was expelled from the Surrealist group in 1935, after which he abandoned those influences to pursue a deeper analysis of figurative compositions. His critical nature caused persistent self-doubt about his ability to realize his artistic vision, yet this insecurity remained a powerful motivator. Between 1938 and 1944, his sculptures were no taller than seven centimeters, a size reflecting the actual distance between himself and his model; he noted with terror that his attempts to create from memory resulted in ever-shrinking figures. After World War II, he produced his most famous works: extremely tall, slender figurines that existed in a space between the imaginary and the real. His painting, though a small part of his overall output, became equally prominent after 1957, with late works featuring nearly monochrome figures that referenced no other modern styles. He often reworked models, destroying or setting aside pieces he found unsatisfactory, even after achieving worldwide fame following a major prize at the Venice Biennale in 1962.

Did You Know?

• Giacometti wrote texts for periodicals and exhibition catalogues and recorded his thoughts in notebooks and diaries.
• Between 1938 and 1944, his sculptures had a maximum height of seven centimetres (2.75 inches).
• In 1962 he was awarded the grand prize for sculpture at the Venice Biennale.
• His last work was the book 'Paris sans fin', a sequence of 150 lithographs.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Alberto Giacometti (10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draughtsman and printmaker." — Alberto Giacometti "Figures were never for me a compact mass but like a transparent construction." — Alberto Giacometti "There was a third element in reality that concerned me: movement." — Alberto Giacometti "That's the terrible thing: the more one works on a picture, the more impossible it becomes to finish it." — Alberto Giacometti