Sculptor, draughtsman, painter. Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) was all of this, but he was mainly celebrated for his elongated figures.
The retrospective at the Tate Modern next May aims to reposition Giacometti as master of clay and plaster – not just bronze. Six famous sculptures will be on show together for the very first time in sixty years in a major new exhibition.
The plaster figures, made for the 1956 Venice Biennale, also known as the Women of Venice, have been restored for the upcoming show.
Alberto Giacometti
Woman of Venice III
1956
Bronze
118.5 x 17 x 35.1 cm
Collection Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti, Paris
© Alberto Giacometti Estate, ACS/DACS, 2017
The curator Lena Fritsch revealed to The Evening Standard that there will be a lot of material no one has seen before; from it it will be possible to understand the influence Egyptian art had on Giacometti’s work and how he looked into African art at a really early stage.
Through the access to the collection and archive of the Foundation Alberto et Annette Giacometti in Paris, Tate Modern’s exhibition brings together over 250 works, also examining some of the people who most influenced the Swiss artist, such as his brother, his wife and his mistress.
Alberto Giacometti is at Tate Modern from 10 May to 10 October 2017.
