Alberto Giacometti : [brochure] the
Museum of Modern Art, October 11,
2001-January 8, 2002
Author
Giacometti, Alberto, 1901-1966
Date
2001
Publisher
The Museum of Modern Art
Exhibition URL
www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/165
The Museum of Modern Art's exhibition history—
from our founding in 1929 to the present—is
available online. It includes exhibition catalogues,
primary documents, installation views, and an
index of participating artists.
MoMA
© 2016 The Museum of Modern Art
f
The Museum of Modern Art
OCTOBER
11,2001-JANUARY
8 2002 '
FLOOR
PLANS
Galleries
1/2
FromStampa
totheEarlyYears
in Paris,1918-27
3
Representation
andAbstraction:
PortraitHeads,
Summer
1927
4
Plaque
Sculptures,
Signsin Space:
TheBeginnings
ofSurrealism,
1928-30
5/6
Surrealism,
1930-34
7
InSearch
ofaNewWayof Seeing,
1934-45
8/9
Postwar
Paris,1947-51
10/11 Returning
to Painting,
1949-65
12
Drawings,
1951-64/Studies
of DiegoandAnnette:
1950-54
13
TheWomen
ofVenice
andFigures
foraPublicProject,
14
TheLastYears,
1962-65
1956andi960
1
LyA\
hoHA
ALBERTO
GIACOMETTI
AlbertoGiacometti
hasbeencreditedwiththeinventionof
"a wholenewtribeof people."Evenfor thoseonlyslightlyfamil
iar with twentieth-century
art, animageof Giacometti's
tribe
leapsto mind.It is dominated
byfrail, elongated,
impossibly
slenderrepresentations
of figures:standingwomenandwalking
menwithkneaded,
gouged,andpalpablyanimated
surfaces,
modeled
in clayor plasterandthencastinto bronze.Firstcreated
in thelate1940sin Giacometti's
tiny, cramped
studioin Paris,a
citythenstill reelingfromthedevastating
impactof WorldWarII,
thesefigurescontinueto hauntthepopularimagination
when
everGiacometti's
nameis invoked.
Thereare,however,
othersidesto Giacometti.
Chiefamong
themis theyoungartistwhobeganmakingellipticallyerotic,
essentially
abstractsculptures
in thelate1920s—
sculptures
that,
withinafewshortyears,wouldcatapulthimto theforefrontof
the Parisian
Surrealist
avant-garde.
Thereis alsoGiacometti
the
painter-sculptor-draftsman,
anartistwhomovedbetweenmedi
umswithafluidity unseenin anyof theothermodernmastersof
thepastcentury,withtheexceptions
of PabloPicasso
andHenri
Matisse.Thepresentretrospective-the
first to beheldin a New
Yorkmuseum
in overa generation-aims
to redressstereotypical
notionsof Giacometti
andto showhisartisticachievement
in its
truerichness
anddiversity.Theexhibitionaffordstheopportunity
to seeGiacometti's
sculpturein its full developmental
range
(from1919through1965),andrevealshisgreatgiftsasa painter
anddraftsman.
It featuressomeninetysculptures,
fortypaintings,
andsixtydrawings,
manyof which-inparticularthefragileplas
ter,wood,andterra-cottaworksof theartist'spre-WorldWarII,
oravant-garde,
period-have
rarelybeenseenin NewYork.
Giacometti
madehisfirst lastingimpression
onanAmerican
audience
in 1948,witha retrospective
exhibitionof hisworkatthe
PierreMatisseGallery,NewYork.Includinghisnew,attenuated
figures,thisshowwasaccompanied
bya catalogue
containingan
essaybytheinfluentialexistentialistphilosopher
Jean-Paul
Sartre,andmarked
theinceptionof interpretations
of Giacometti's
workas revealingthe anxiety andalienation of twentiethcenturylife. Eventoday,overhalfa centurylater,whilereadings
of theartist'sworkhavemultiplied,this"existentialist"viewof
hisartisticachievement
continues
to exertapowerfulhold.
Giacometti,
however,
characterized
hisprojectin verydifferent
terms.Hesawhimselfasa realist,attemptingthe"impossible"
2
projectof representing
theappearance
ofthingsashesawthem,
in a manner
acknowledging
thatourcomprehension
of the per
ceivedworldis neverfixedbutconstantly
subjectto change.His
preoccupation
withwhathedescribed
as"renderingmyvision"
ledhimfirst to radicallyreimagine
theformsof modernsculpture
andsubsequently
to returnto drawing,painting,andsculpting
fromthe model,rendering
thesemostconventional
aspectsof
academic
disciplinepowerfulin importantnewways.
AlbertoGiacometti
wasbornnearStampa,
in the remote
valleyofthe Bregaglia,
in thesoutheastern
Swiss
Alps,onOctober
10,1901.Hisparents,AnnettaGiacometti-Stampa
andthe PostImpressionist
painterGiovanni
Giacometti,
camefromfamilies
withdeeptiesto the region.Despitetheirrelativeisolation,they
wereonthefriendliestof termswithprominentSwissartistsof
thetime:AugustoGiacometti,
oneof thetwentiethcentury'sear
liestadventurers
intoabstraction,
wasa cousinof both;the
FauvistpainterCunoAmietwasthegodfatherof theirfirstborn,
Alberto;andtheSymbolist
painterFerdinand
Hodlerof their
youngest,Bruno.Alberto'sboyhoodyearsattachedhimfirmly
to thevalleyof hisbirth,andhisfirst experiences
of art meshed
seamlessly
witha closefamilylife. Manyhappyhoursspentin
hisfather'sstudioprovidedthe boywithanearlyandnatural
training.If Alberto'svocationasanartistwasneverin doubt,it
yetposeda quandary
in hislateteens:howto choosebetween
sculptureandpainting.
Aftersomecursoryformaltrainingin Geneva
andtravelsin
Italy,Giacometti
wouldseemto haveresolvedhisdilemmawhen,
in January
of 1922,heenrolledin Emile-Antoine
Bourdelle's
sculptureclassattheAcademie
dela Grande
Chaumiere,
in Paris.
Withtheexceptionof threewartimeyears,Giacometti
would
henceforth
livein Parisuntil hisdeathin 1966,althoughhewould
makefrequentandsometimes
lengthyvisitsto Stampa.
These
twovastlydifferentplaceswerethevitalpointsof Giacometti's
life, atthecenterof hisenergiesandcreativity.
3
1/2 FROM
STAMPATOTHE
EARLY
YEARS
INPARIS,
1918-27
Giacometti's
extraordinary
naturalgifts, togetherwithhisearly
training,hadmadehimanaccomplished
artistevenbeforeleaving
highschoolin the springof 1919.Thesculpture,drawings,and
paintingsheproduced
in Stampa
between1918andhisarrivalin
Parisin 1922reflecthisclosecontactwithcontemporary
Swiss
modernism
aswellashisseriousstudyof traditionalEuropean
art. In onepairof drawings
from1918of himselfandhismother,
heturnsthe facesto a three-quarter
viewandcultivatesstylistic
traitsthat recallat onceAlbrechtDiirerandNicolasPoussin;
in a
secondpair,the facesarefrontalandsubjectedto a treatment
stronglyreminiscent
of Hodler.A small,exquisitelymodeled
headof hisbrotherBrunofrom1919is classically
traditionalbut
infusedwitha sweetgentleness
that is closeto the Gothic.
Dramatic
in concept
andexecution,
Giacometti's
Self-Portrait
of 1921revealsmuchaboutthe youngartist. In this,the largest
paintinghewouldmakeuntil 1947,Giacometti
drewtogetherall
that hehadlearnedfromhisfatherin animageof himselfas
masterof histrade.Thesuretouchof brushandthe flattened
patterningof bright,denselypackedtonalvaluesshowhiseasy
controloverthe paternalPost-Impressionist
style.Intensely
self-aware,the pose,setagainstthe background
of the father's
studio,is bold,andsomindfulof the bordersof the canvas
that
the figurestrategicallyescapes
their bounds.Literallyand
metaphorically,
the picturereadsasa declaration
of the artist's
intentto movebeyondthe familiarworldof hisyouth.Whether
Giacometti
knewat the time
of its executionthat it would
beoneof hislastserious
adventures
into paintingfor
manyyearsis questionable;
in hindsight,though,the
paintingsignalshismove
to Parisandhisimminent
shift towardsculpture.SelfPortraitjoints significantly
to thefuturein another
sensealso:to beassessed
as
a whole,the paintingwants
theviewerto lookat it across
the planeof its surface,
Self-Portrait.
1921.Oiloncanvas,
32%x 28%"(82.5x 72cm).
AlbertoGiacometti-Stiftung,
Zurich
butto engagefully withits
4
subject,the paintingdemands
thatthe viewerstandsquarelyin
front of the figure,in anexchange
of gaze.Giacometti
would
frequentlystrivefor this obligatoryreciprocityof lookingin the
1920sand1930s,andwouldcometo pursueit withobsessive
passionin the postwaryears.
ByJanuary1922,somesix monthsafterthe completionof
Self-Portrait,Giacometti
wasin Paris,enrolledin Bourdelle's
highlyreputedsculptureclass.Trainingcomprised
modelingand
drawingfromlife withoccasional
comments
andcorrections
by
Bourdelle.
Although
theirtemperaments
andaesthetic
viewswere
muchat variance,the five yearsGiacometti-at
timessporadi
cally-attendedclasses
wereof fundamental
importance
to him.
Hisfirst threeyearsin Pariswerea periodof apprenticeship
for
the oncesupremely
self-confidentyoungartist.Theprocessof
learning,unlearning,andabsorbing
tookplaceonlypartiallyin
Bourdelle's
studio.Pariswasrichwithpossibilities—
amongthem
the Museedel'Homme
andits collections
of tribalandOceanic
art,
the Egyptianroomsat the Louvre,andthe presence
of contem
porarysculptureby Constantin
Brancusi,
Aleksandr
Archipenko,
HenriLaurens,
andJacques
Lipchitz,all of whomhadto a greater
or lesserdegreeassimilated
Cubistprinciplesinto their art. Only
a fewexperiments
in sculpturesurvivefromGiacometti's
early
studentyearsin Paris,andtheseweremadein Stampa,
to which
the artistwouldregularlyreturnfor a monthor moreat a time.
Hislife drawings
andnotebookcomments,
however,
revealthe
problemshewashavingfindinga styleof hisown.
In Torso(1925),Giacometti
established
the rootsof his
workto come.A small,intenselycompellingpiece,Torsohas
justifiablybeenrelatedto almostall of the constellation
of
Parisian
presences
enumerated
above,asit haswithequaljustice
beenuniversallyrecognized
asstampedby Giacometti's
own
personality-hisfirst unequivocally
modernsculpture.Torso's
stereometric
asymmetry
mostimmediatelyrecallsFernand
Leger'sseriesof paintingsContrastof Forms(1913-14),andits
innervitality bringsto mindcertainof Brancusi's
sculptures,
thusaccomplishing
in its ownwayGiacometti's
increasingdesire
to effecta unionof the geometricandthe organic.Madeduring
a timewhenGiacometti
felt compelled
to returnto the origins
of the humanexpressive
need,Torsois possessed
of anuncanny
sexualallureandwholeness
at oddswithits truncatedparts.
Likemanyof the sculptures
that wouldfollow,Torsoprovokes
surprisingassociations.
Itstwocontrapuntal
movements,
the
5
descending
bodyandthe
ascending
legs,havebeen
variouslyinterpreted:the
femalebodyasphallic
obelisk;the bodyassuming
a treelikeaspect(asthough
reenacting
the nymph
Daphne's
arborealmetamor
phosis);anarrowplunged
into the earth,solidly
anchored
by a pedestalset
onthe bias.Anotherreading
of Torsointerprets
thelegsas
opening
andrising,creating
Torso.
1925.Plaster,
22% x 9% x 9'/«" (58x 25x 24cm).
AlbertoGiacometti-Stiftung,
Zurich
a concave
spacebetween
thighsandtrunkthat, togetherwiththe pronounced
notchof
the right hip, modelsnotonlythe sculpturebutalsothe space
aroundit. Here,asis evenmoreevidentin hisfiguresof women
thatwouldcomeafterWorldWarII, Giacometti
showshimselfto
beanartistwhoworksasmuchwithlight aswithmass.
Thecreationof TorsocoincidedwithGiacometti's
mounting
anxietiesworkingfromlife in Bourdelle's
class.Eventhoughhe
didnotdefinitivelyleaveuntil1927,hisattendance
became
more
andmorefitful ashedevotedhimselfwithenergyto working
out of hisownhead.Ofthe seriesof worksthat followed,some
seempredominantly
influencedby Cubism,
othersbytribal art,
andyet others(suchasthe paintedterra-cottaDancers
of 1927)
combinethe twogenresin startling,unexpected
ways.Common
to hisuseof bothidiomswasa tendencyto structurehissculp
turesasvirtuallytwo-sidedreliefs,thusperversely
accentuating
their eccentricprofiles.Almostall of the worksof this period
haveto dowithabstracted
metaphorical
bodies,andaredense
withintimationsof the sensations
of physicalencounter.
Giacometti's
mostfamousandimposingpieceof the second
halfof the 1920sis the monumental
SpoonWoman(1926-27).
Herfigurecombines
planesandvolumesderivedfromCubism
witha conceptbasedmostprobablyonspoonsusedbythe Dan
tribe in centralAfrica.ThelargestsculptureGiacometti
hadyet
made,SpoonWoman
hasa vastconcave
bellysurmounted
by a
tiny waistandsharplygeometric
bustandhead.Setona pedestal
combiningthe curvedandthe rectilinear,sheyieldsdramatic
frontalandrearviewsanda literallybreathtaking
profile.The
6
figure'sgreat,spoon-shaped
bellyinevitablyassociates
woman
with nourishment,
hunger,pleasurable
sensation,andfertility.
Thefirst in whattwodecades
laterwouldbecomea procession
of standingfemalefigures,SpoonWoman,
for all hermassive
presence
andreproductive
promise,anticipatesimportantchar
acteristicsof heryounger,thread-thinsistersof the 1940sand
1950sin herinsistentsymmetry,hunched,
almostEtruscan
shoulders,
andslender,if moreemphatic,profile.Beyondthis,
SpoonWoman
shareswiththe laterattenuated
figuresthe cre
ationof a notionaldistancefromthe spectator.Herproportions
somehow
manage
to implythat sheis verynear.Theeffect
forecastsGiacometti's
postwareffortsto bendthe illusionistic
effectsof paintingto sculpture,andit reflectshisviewthat the
physicalincongruities
of Africanfigures,withtheir largeheads
andshortlegs,werenot,asprevalentassumption
hadit, con
ceptual.Instead,hesaid,they representwhatoneactuallysees
whenstandingoppositeandcloseto anotherperson:the head,
facingone'sown,is enlarged,whilethe legsappearto diminish.
Onlyfifty-sevenincheshigh,SpoonWoman
seemsmonumental,
endowed
withritual,elementalforce.
3 REPRESENTATION
ANDABSTRACTION:
PORTRAIT
HEADS,
SUMMER
1927
WhenGiacometti
returnedto Stampa
in the summerof 1927
afterhavingproduced
SpoonWoman
andvariousothersculptures
in whichhehadexploredthe boundaries
betweenabstraction
andrepresentation
throughformsbornof the imagination,he
set himselfa taskof moreperplexingorder.Bydefinition,the
portraitbustis representational;
butthoseGiacometti
madeof
hismotherandfatherin the summerof 1927interrogatethat
definition-how,andhowfar, couldhetakeanabstracting
stylizationandyet preserve
likeness.Andthe questionposesitself:
whyattemptsucha perverseendeavor?
Theanswerlies in
Giacometti's
obsessive
will to renderhis"vision"-to capture
visiblepresence
(for whichrepresentation
woulddonicely)
andat the sametimeto graspthe ungraspable
essence
or core
of humanencounter(whichstylealonecouldattempt).
Giacometti
beganby workingbeforehismodelswhileat the
sametimeeasingtentativelytowarddistortionsof naturalistic
representation.
Thesubsequent
bustsof hismotherandfather
retainthe characteristics
by whichwerecognize
the subjects,
althoughtheir renderingstraysfar fromthe traditional.In a
7
bronzeof Giovanni—
77ze
Artist'sFather(flat andengraved)-the
front halfof the headis shearedflat, hisfeaturesengraved
onto
its surface.In a marble—
77ze
Artist'sFather,the mostradically
abstracted
of the series—
the headis alsoa flat triangularplane,
barelyinterruptedbytheexquisitelydelicatereliefindications
of
mouth,nose,andeyes.Althoughscarcelyinflectedby sculptural
incident,this smallmarblemassbearsanunmistakable
likeness
to its sitter,and,in certainlights,its verymaterialityseemsto
speakof the immaterial-ofephemeral,
vanishingpresence.
A relativelyrealisticbronzeof Annetta,TheArtist'sMother
(1927),playswithGiacometti's
alreadydemonstrated
penchant
for the two-sidedlowreliefsculpture,but herethereseemsan
inclination
tofoolthespectator.
Although
thebustis vi rtually stripped
of front-to-backmass,the modelingof the head,whenviewed
frontally,seemsto promisea greaterthree-dimensionality
than
its plaquelikedepthprovides.
4 PLAQUE
SCULPTURES,
SIGNS
INSPACE:
THEBEGINNINGS
OFSURREALISM,
1928-30
Returning
to Parisin 1927,Giacometti
andhisyoungerbrother
Diegomovedinto the tiny, ramshackle
studioat 46, rue
Hippolyte-Maindron
thatthe artistwouldoccupyuntil hisdeath
in 1966.Thatwinterhespentworkingona seriesof flat sculptures
whosecontoursareverylike thosein the previoussummer's
portraitof hismother.Highlysuggestive
of Cycladic
art, these
plaquesculptures(asthey havecometo beknown)arecloseto
whollyabstract,yettheyprojectanuncannysenseof human
presence.
Themosttelling pieceis GazingHead(1928):froma
flat, gentlyundulatingplastersurface,twoeyes-soft,elliptical
indentations,onevertical,the otherhorizontal-gaze
out.
Lookingbackat theseblindeyes,the viewer'ssightis arrested
asthoughencountering
a mutewall.Butthe insistentviewer
wholooksdirectlyinto the eyesof this silentheadwill find that
it hasswitchedinto a profile.Gazing,
it allowsnoreturnof gaze,
in aneeriereversalof the rolesof spectatorandobject.
Themarvelous
qualitiesof GazingHeadimmediately
attractedthe attentionof Surrealist
artistsandwriterswhenit
wasexhibitedin 1929at the GalerieJeanneBucher.
At the sug
gestionof the eminentcriticCarlEinstein,MichelLeiriswrote
the veryfirst, still spellbinding
articleonGiacometti,
for Georges
Bataille'snewmagazine,
Documents.
SuddenlyGiacometti's
friendsweretout Paris-or at leastavant-garde
Paris.Whether
8
partisansof Surrealism's
pope,AndreBreton,or of the great
dissident,Bataille,the members
of Surrealism's
pantheon
embraced
Giacometti.
Theyearafterproducinghisplaquesculptures,
Giacometti
begana seriesof smallopen-workconstructions,
sometimes
described
assignsin space.Whereidentityin the plaquesculp
turesis suggested
by ideograms
impressed
ontothe compact
massof anopaquesurface,the process
is reversed
in the suc
ceedinggroup,wherethe signifyingmarkis delineatedbythe
openspacearoundit. Giacometti
calledthesepieces"a kind
of skeletonin space. . . transparent
constructions."
Oneof the
mostsuccessful
of theseis RecliningWomanWhoDreams
(1929).Thethreeverticalpostsat eachendhavejust sufficient
massto actaslinesof forcein anotherwiselaterallyfloating
composition;
yettheyarealsothe postsof a bed,whosecurving
undulations
suggestat oncethe formof the recumbent
woman
andthe wavesof the dreampossessing
her.Readasoneiric
/.«
s/n"
Reclining
Woman
WhoDreams.
1929.Bronze,
paintedwhite,gViix1615x 5
AlbertoGiacometti-Stiftung,
Zurich
(24x43x 13.5cm).
landscape,
herhead,at the left, becomes
the moonabovemov
ing water,andthe thrustof the threediagonalelementsthe
penetrating
substance
of the dreamer's
dream.
Such"perforated"sculptures,
in Leiris'swords,asReclining
WomanWhoDreamsandMan(Apollo)-alsoof 1929—
werecriti
calto the evolutionof a conceptof cagelikeconstruction
thatthe
artistwouldfurtherelaborate
throughouthislife. Oneof the first
andbest-knownof theseis Suspended
Ball (1930).Exhibitedin
the GaleriePierreLoebin the springof 1930,the objectcaused
a furorin AndreBreton'scircle.Surrealism's
mostexcitingnew
recruit,Salvador
Dali,described
it as"a woodenball,stamped
9
witha femininegroove. . . suspended
by a violinstringovera
crescentthe wedgeof whichbarelygrazesthe cavity.Thespec
tatorfindshimselfinstinctivelycompelled
to slidethe ballup
anddownthe ridge,butthe lengthof stringdoesnotallowfull
contact."AsDalinotes,Suspended
Ballis a tease.Likeother
sculptures
to come,it createsanexpectation
that its movement
will achievea certainend,andthat expectation
is thenthwarted.
Anotherpreoccupation
that wouldproveto beof long
durationemerged
in the first twoyearsof the 1930sin the form
of modelsfor environmental
sculptures.
Thefirst (andmost
astonishing)
is Projectfor a Passageway
(1930),realizedonly
asa plastermodel.Itsstructureandwhiteness
remindedBruno
Giacometti
of the houseshisbrotherhadconstructed
out of
snowasa child-roofless,theywerestrungtogetherin boxesas
thoughpartof a game.TheadultAlberto'splasterpassageway
hasits ownplaylikeaspects-ametaphor
for the interiorof a
woman's
body,it is intended,at full scale,to beenteredand
negotiated.
Thepotenteroticchargeof the modelis manifest
evenbeforeits abstractpartscoherein the viewer'seyeand
solicitanimaginaryvoyage.Beyondits compellingpresence,
Project'shorizontalityandits potentialviabilityasanobject
withouta basehavegivenit historicalimportance
in the innova
tionsGiacometti
broughtto twentieth-century
sculpture.
5/6 SURREALISM,
1930-34
Bythe endof 1930,Suspended
Ballhadestablished
Giacometti
asthe newstarof Breton'sfactionof the dividedSurrealist
group;hisallegiancewasnot, however,
total, andheneverfully
accepted
its doctrines.Suspended
Ballhasbeencreditedwith
launchingthe Surrealist
voguefor objectmaking,andhasalso
beenseenasanavatarof notionsof the "formless"asadvocated
by Surrealism's
greatanti-Bretonian,
Bataille.Thecontradic
tory flexibility of Giacometti's
positionundoubtedly
owesto an
inflexibilityinherentto hisowncreativenature.Forall that both
branches
of Surrealism
appealed
to histemperament,
hewas
a sculptorwhosecommitment
to plasticintegritywastoo
independent,
too ingrainedto befundamentally
alteredby
Surrealism's
stricturesof whateverstripe.Giacometti's
unique
achievement
wasto demonstrate
that Surrealism
andmodern
sculptureneednot bemutuallyexclusivedomains.Hisworks
fromthe early1930sareradicalon manylevels,includingthe
historyof modernsculptural
form.Ranging
fromportableobjects,
10
to workswithmovablecomponents,
to modelsfor environments
in whichthe spectatorwasintendedto moveabout,the work
reconceives
the relationshipbetweenart andaudience.
Pointto the Eye(1932)recaststhe terrainof sculptureas
a horizontalgameboardor playingfield. HereGiacometti
con
frontsanimpassive
skull-likeheadmountedonpartof a rib
cagewitha slender,taperingbladewhosestilettopointthrusts
directlytowardaneyesocket.Theimpliedmenace
is unmistak
able,butthe fictiveactionin this ritualizeddramaof violation
anddeathcannomorebecompleted
thanthe ballandcrescent
wedgecanmeetin Suspended
Ball-the blade,supportedbya
largepin, canonlyswivelonits pivot.OnonelevelPointto the
Eyesymbolically
rehearses
the tenserelationshipbetweenthe
subject'sandartist'sseeingeyeandthe reciprocalgazeof the
objectandworldseen;onanother,it is a pawnin the artist's
ongoingattemptthroughout
the Surrealist
periodto makesculp
turethat will inciteactive,if onlyimaginary,participation—
that
will pullthe beholderinto its spatialcontinuum.
Oneof the greatmasterpieces
of the early1930sis Woman
with tier ThroatCut(1932).Althoughthis extraordinary
assem
blageof partsdoesnotconformto the Surrealists'
interestin the
object,norto theiremphasis
onspontaneous
creation,thesculp
ture'sunprecedented
sexualityandviolencewouldhavefed
directlyintotheir concerns.
It represents
a womanstrangled,her
jugularveincut-butthereis scarcelya formwithoutseveral
meanings.
Deathandthe artisthavemeldedthe figureinto a
beingthatis partwoman,partcrustacean,
partreptile,andpart
Woman
withHerThroat
Cut.1932.Bronze,
8x 34'/, x 25"(20.3x 87.6x 63.5cm).
TheMuseum
of Modern
Art,NewYork.Purchase
insect.Yetplacedonthe floorwithouta base,asGiacometti
intended,thejumbleof bodypartsandsplayedlegspowerfully
conveys
the imageof a womanwhohasbeenrapedandmur
dered.It wasGiacometti's
wishthatthe phallicpod,movably
attachedto the armbendingoverthe head,beheldin the
woman's
leaflikehand.Dead,the womanis notdispossessed
of
Freudian
menace:
in additionto whatmaybethe souvenirthat
sheholdsin herhand,the fangedshapesof herrib cageandhip
bonesimpersonate
thefearedvaginadentataof Surrealist
obses
sion.Theiconography
of this pieceis sopowerfulthat it tendsto
delayourrecognition
thatits intensityandenergyissuefrom
Giacometti's
masteryof formalsculpturalconcerns.
It is perhaps
relevant,however,
to remember
hisownwords:"In everyworkof
artthesubjectis primordial
whethertheartistis awareof it or not.
Thegreateror lesserformalqualityis nevermorethana signof
the greateror lesserobsession
of the artistwithhissubject."
Caress
(DespiteHands)wasprobablymadesomewhat
laterin 1932thanWoman
with HerThroatCut.In spiteof its ini
tial enigmatic,evenhermeticappearance,
Caress
immediately
seemsto radiatehumanpresence
andsensuality.Its prominent
convexcurvature
is usuallyinterpretedasthe bellyof a preg
nantwoman,andthe staggered
cutsoppositeasshorthand
for
the backbone.
Theincisedhandsonbothsidesof the slender
(if seenfrontally)archedbodyarethoseof a mancaressing
a
woman.
Thesilhouettesof the handsseemto becontoursresult
ing fromtracingaroundactualhands(if so,morelikely than
not,the artist's).Thetitle, image,andformof this sculpture
indicatea turningawayfromviolentcontenttowardfiguressuch
asthelife-sizeWalkingWoman
of the followingyear.Privileged
by history,wecanseein this development
the artist'sgradual
evolutiontowardthe workof hispostwaryears.
HandsHoldingthe Void(InvisibleObject),Giacometti's
first large,representational
imageof a wholehumanfigure,
appeared
in 1934.Highlystylized,a nudefemalefigurebalances
ona sortof throne,which,togetherwiththe pillory-likeboard
coveringhershins,appears
to forma partialcagerestraining
herfromanyactionotherthanthe gestureshemakeswithher
hands.These,heldin front of herasthoughholdingsomething,
holdnothing.Therehavebeennumerous
interpretations,
none
conclusive,
of whatthe heldvoidrepresents,
andthe artisthim
self wasdeeplyevasiveonthat point.Ashasbeensuggested,
it
mayindeedbethe voiditself thatis grasped.CarlEinstein,one
12
s/i»"
Caress
(Despite
Hands).1932.Marble,i87i«x197jx6
Centre
Georges
Pompidou,
Paris
(47.5x49-5x16cm).Musee
nationald'artmoderne,
of Giacometti's
earliestandmostpercipientcritics,hadwritten,
"Theworkof art is a protectionagainstthe invisiblethat prowls
everywhere
andfrightens:a barrieragainstthe diffuseanimism
that threatens."
Ofwhatever
it consistsor doesnot,this void
seemsofferedto the spectatorwhoadvances
into the field of
the girl'ssightlessgaze.Thoseeyesthat stareblanklybelongto
a headthat Giacometti
haddespaired
of everfashioning;while
walkingarounda flea marketwith Breton,hehadprovidentially
comeupona metalmaskthat struckhimasexactlyrightfor his
figure'shead.Bretonhimselfhaddiscovered
a ratherunusual
spoon,andmademuchof the "twofindsthat Giacometti
andI
madetogether,"seeingin this marvelous
operationof fate evi
denceof analmostmysticalbondbetweenthem.Ironically,by
the endof the yearGiacometti
wasto shockBretonbysuddenly
devotinghimselfto modelinga headfromlife, andBretonto
appallGiacometti
by protestingthat everyoneknewwhata head
was.Giacometti's
ties to Breton'sSurrealistcircleweresubse
quentlyonlyselectivelymaintained.
7 INSEARCH
OFA NEW
WAY
OFSEEING,
1934-45
Bythe endof 1934,Giacometti
hadbecomeconvinced
that only
by returningto life studiescouldhisart approach
anadequate
expression
of "the totality of life." Remembering
thisjuncture
in hiscareer,Giacometti
saidthat "the desire"hadcome"to
makecompositions
withfigures,for this, I hadto make(quickly
I thought)oneor twostudiesfromnature,just enoughto
understand
the construction
of a head,of a wholefigure,and
13
/«x
in 19351tooka model.Thisshouldtakemetwoweeks.. . .
NothingturnedoutasI hadimagined."
Theprojectedtwoweeks
stretchedoutto morethanten yearsof intenseactivityand
experimentation
that broughtrelativelylittle returnuntil the
mid-l940s.Duringthis period,hiscircleof friendsshiftedand
grewto includeSamuelBeckettandJean-Paul
Sartre,among
others.Internationally,
hisreputationwasgrowing,withhis
first NewYorkexhibitionin 1935and,in 1936,the inclusionof
ThePalaceat 4 a.m.in TheMuseum
of ModernArt'sFantastic
Art, Dada,Surrealism
exhibition.Purchased
bythe Museum,
the sculptureremained
in NewYorkonprominentdisplay.
Thelongdecadeof Giacometti's
transitionto hispostwar
styleincludeda returnto painting.Inthe summerof 1937in
Stampa
andat Maloja,the familysummerhome,Giacometti
produced
threecanvases
that clearlyanticipatethe manythat
wouldcomebetweenthe late 1940sandthe endof hislife.
WhereGiacometti
hadadapteda formof Cezannian
brushstroke
in hisSelf-Portraitof 1921,fourteenyearslater,in hisportrait
of hismotherandin twostill lifes of a singleappleona table,
heresponded
to the earlierartist'stechniquewitha sculptor's
eye.Thefield of perceptual
vibrationsCezanne
hadset upwith
flecksof colorbecome,in Giacometti's
threecanvases,
a frame
workof linesof energyandcontrastsof light anddark,largely
devoidof mass.In each,the beginnings
of aninternalframe
arevisible,andtracesof rapidexecutionarecombined
withan
obviouslysustainedeffort.
Giacometti's
semisculptural
approach
to paintingwas
matchedby hissemipainterly
approach
to sculpture.Butwhere
the attitudehadworkedin painting,it provedmoredifficultin
sculpture.Inthelate1930s,hemadehisfirst attemptsto sculpta
figureseenin the distance.Observing
thata familiarfigureseen
far awayis still recognizable,
andaffectiveasa humanpresence,
hefocusedonadjustments
of scale.Makingeversmallerfigures
andplacingthemonlargepedestals,
hethoughtto frame,asin
a picture,the illusionof a tiny figurein anexpanse
of space.
ExactlywhenGiacometti
beganmakinghissmall-format
sculptures
is unclear,butit wasprobablyasearlyas1936,when
hewasotherwisedevotinghoursof eachdayto workingfrom
the model.Bythe time, however,
of hiswartimedeparturefor
Switzerland,
almosthisentireattentionwasgivenoverto these
Hands
HoldingtheVoid(InvisibleObject).1934.Bronze,
597 12%x 10"(152.1
x 32.6x 25.3cm).
TheMuseum
of Modern
Art,NewYork.Louise
Reinhardt
SmithBequest
15
/»
/.e
Twosculptures,
eachtitledSmallFigureona Pedestal.
1940-45Plaster
andmetalonplasterbase,
(left)4 x 2x 2Vs"(11.4x5-1x5-2
cm);(right)33 x 1lI x 1 " (9-5x4-3x4-2cm).TheMuseum
of Modern
Art,
NewYork.Giftof Mr.andMrs.Thomas
B.Hess
figures.Leaving
hisbrotherDiegoin the rueHippolyte-Maindron
studio,Giacometti
setoff to visit hismotherin Geneva
at the end
of December
of 1941,wherehewouldunexpectedly
remainfor the
nextthreeanda halfyears.Workingin anevensmallerspacein
Geneva
thanhehadhadin Paris,Giacometti's
concentration
onthe
diminutivefiguresin nowaydiminished.Onthe contrary,his
accountof hiseffortsis of anobsession:
"Butwantingto create
frommemorywhatI hadseen,to myterrorthesculptures
became
smallerandsmaller,theyonlyhada likenesswhenverysmall,
yettheir dimensions
revoltedme,andtirelesslyI began,again
andagain,to end,severalmonthslater,at the samepoint."
Giacometti's
onlyknownescapefromthe tyrannyof the
tiny figureoccurred
at Maloja,between1942and1943,withhis
creationof a nude,standingfemalefigure,nearlyfourfeet high,
mountedona roughlycubicbasesupportedby a smallcart.As
canbeseenin photographs
takenbeforethe figurewasremoved
fromthe studio,Giacometti
paintedhertwin onthe studiowall.
Thesculptureandthe paintingareonlya whisper'slengthfrom
theworkGiacometti
wouldbeginafterhisreturnto Paris—
indeed,
theyseema logicalbreakfromthe reignof the minuscule,
the
mostevidentlink to hispostwarwork.Butthe artist'sdemons
continuedto plaguehim,andit wouldbeanotherthreeyears
beforehecouldbuildonthis initiative.
8/9 POSTWAR
PARIS,
1947-51
WhenGiacometti
returnedto Parisin mid-September
of 1945,
hefamouslybroughtwithhimsix matchboxes
containingthe
16
tiny figuresthat hadoccupiedhimoverthe previousfour years,
andwhichwouldcontinueto holdhisattentionfor yet another
year.Featured
in Cahiers
d'art, theyacquiredlegendarystature
assymbolsof the hardships
of postwarEurope,
andof individual,
undefeated
endurance.
Giacometti
creditshisbreakfromthe thrall of the minus
culein about1945to certainhallucinatory
experiences
andto
drawing.In hisubiquitouslyquotedletter of 1948to Pierre
Matisse,herefersto the pastyearsof struggle:"Allthis changed
a little in 1945throughdrawing.Thisled meto wantto make
largerfigures,thento mysurprise,theyachieved
a resemblance
onlywhenlongandslender."
InJulyof 1946,AnnetteArm,twenty-fouryearsoldand
readyto sharethe primitivelivingconditionsof the artist
shehadmetin Geneva,
arrivedin Paris;shewasto become
Giacometti's
wifealmostexactlythreeyearslaterandto begin
herroleashismodelalmostimmediately.Morelikely thannot,
sheis the figurein severaldrawingsof 1946and1947,realized
almostcoincidentally
withthe first appearance
of Giacometti's
thin, elongatedsculptures.In eachdrawing,the nudefemale
figureis a slender,centralverticaloccupying
onlya fraction
of its support.Theexpanse
of whitepapersurrounding
herillu
minatesa spatialfield whoseproportions
establishdistance
betweenthe viewerandsubject.Thegougedandkneadedcon
toursof the sculptures
to comeareanticipatedin outlinesmade
indeterminate
bythe abrasions
of pencilanderaser.
Fromthe timeof thesedrawingsuntil the endof hislife,
Giacometti,
withfewexceptions,
limitedhimselfto a verysmall
groupof models,principallyAnnetteandhisbrotherDiego.This
economy
in the useof modelsextendedto hissubjects;rarely
did hetakeonanyotherthanthewalkingman,standingwoman,
andbust.In 1947,thesameyearthatheinitiatedthesesubjects—
probablyshortlybefore-hemadethreesculptures,TheNose,
TheHand,andHeadona Rod,thatthematicallyrecallSurrealist
works.Ofthese,the mostdramaticis TheNose.Hanging
from
anopencage,a fantastic,repellentheadthrustsits sinister
Pinocchio
nosefar outinto the spacebeyondits frame.Nose,
head,andneckof this bizarrependulumbalance
inanequilibrium
moreprecarious
thanthat in the earlierSuspended
Ball,whose
formsit grotesquely
echoes.Thelongbladeof the noserecalls
the menacing
stilettoof Pointto theEye,butits aimis nowat
the gazeof the spectator;however,
unlikethe earlierpiece,
17
thereis nosensehereof sadisticplay.Wherethe skull
of Pointto theEyewasimpassive
and,ultimately,seento be
engaged
in a ritualcharade
closedoff fromrealspace,the
death'sheadof TheNoseis practicallyexpressionist,
distorted
bysuffering,anda denizenof ourownspace.In TheNoseandits
companion
pieces,TheHand,Headona Rod,andTheLeg(con
ceivedin 1947butnotexecuted
until1958),the narrative
teaseof
the earlierworksis gone,replacedbya sober,unsentimentally
articulateviewof the humancondition.
"Art,"Giacometti
said,"interestsmegreatlybuttruthinter
estsmeinfinitely more."Healsoremarked:
"Haveyounoticed
that, the moretruea work,the morestyleit has?"Disregarding
the semitautological
riddlethesetworemarksopenup,they
areusefulto anunderstanding
of the underlyingprincipleof
Giacometti's
postwarwork.Truth,asGiacometti
understood
it,
wasthe totality of experience
of a physicalthing,andthusby
definitioncontingentandsubjectto almostinfinite extension—
in otherwords,ungraspable.
YetGiacometti
hadfurtherstated,
"Theformmustbefixedin anabsolutemanner."
Sartre,in his
essayfor Giacometti's
landmarkexhibitionat the PierreMatisse
Galleryin NewYorkin 1948,declaredthatthe artisthadfounda
wayoutof hisinsolubledilemmain the discovery
that relativity
couldbeconsidered
a standardof the absolute.
Giacometti's
first filament-thinrenderings
of figures-such
asthe 1947WalkingManandTallFigure-crystallizethe artist's
transientsensations
of seeing,andobjectifyconditionsunder
whichthat seeinghastakenplace:hehasseenthe figurefroma
certaindistance,in a spacethat uncertainlyrevealsthe bound
ariesof solidforms,andwhileseeing,hehasknownthat in the
nextinstantvisionwill becomememory.Theslenderness
of the
figuresreconstitutes
anexperience
of seeingacrossanextend
edspace,aneffectpartiallypreserved
evenif the viewercomes
ascloseasthe artistmusthavedonewhileworkingonthem.
Their^substantialitystill leavesspacearoundthem,andthe
elongationof each,increasing
in degreefromheadto feet,
createsproportions
approaching
thosethat a modelstanding
acrossthe studiowouldperceptually
have.Theenlargedfeet
andrelativemassof the basesreinforcethe notionof anupright
figureseenat roomdistance.
Closeup,the rough,knotted,nervoussurfacesof Tall
FigureandWalkingManimposea conceptual
distancebetween
viewerandobject,just asthey paradoxically
exactanintimacy
18
that solicitsthe viewerto touch-evenif onlyimaginatively—
their unevenbumpsandhollows.JeanGenet,a closefriendof
the artist,recountshow,in touchingthem,sensations
flowed
to the endsof hisfingertips."Notonewasalike-myhandran
acrossthe mostvividandvaryinglandscape."
Eachseparate
movement
of the surfacehedeclaredto beasnecessary
as
all thosenotesin Mozart's
MagicFlute.Thebeautyof such
sculptures
wascaptured,hethought,in their incessant,unin
terruptedcomingandgoingfromthe mostextremedistance
to the closestfamiliarity.
Theillusoryinterpenetrations
of massandspacecreated
bythe irregularedgesof TallFigureandWalkingManexemplify
Giacometti's
almostCezannesque
obsession
withthe elusiveness
of contour.Sharingmuch,thesetwofiguresarenonetheless
oppositional,
andrevealmuchabouttheir author.Giacometti's
figuresof womenarealwaysfrontalandstatic,ritualisticin
their formality;the figuresof menlargelysharethesetraits
butarein movement,
usuallya sedate,somewhat
tentative
walking.Theheadsof the menarealsoanimate,alivewitha
kindof waryattention;thoseof the womenareimpassive,
the
surfacetreatmentnomorethana continuation
of the body's.
Thepaceof WalkingMan,Giacometti's
first largefigureof its
kind,is closerto the solemnityof Egyptianstatuesthanto
nearerprecedents
in Westernart. At leastempathically
a selfportrait,the figuremovesforwardcautiously,asif makinga
first-everattemptat walking.
In CitySquareof 1948,whosesizeandformatrecallthe
game-board
configurations
of hisSurrealistyears,Giacometti
arranges
a raretableauin whichthe malefigureappearswith
the female.Whenthe pieceis viewedfrontally,the femalein
the middledisplaysthe hieraticposeobservable
in hersisters,
andthe malefigureclosestto herseemsa transposition
of the
largeWalkingManof 1947.Oneof severalpiecesto assemble
groupsof personages
in seeminglysterileencounters,
City
Squarederivesfrommodernurbanexperience.
Althoughit
hasoftenbeeninterpretedasexpressing
the loneliness,isola
tion, andevenalienationof the humanbeingin contem
porarysociety,it mayhaveasmuchor evenmoreto dowith
Giacometti's
fascinationwiththe scenearoundhim:"In the
streetpeopleastoundandinterestmemorethananysculpture
or painting. . . theyformandreformlivingcompositions
of
unbelievable
complexity."
19
In anothersculpture,TheCage(Woman
andHead)of 1950,
Giacometti
setsupa variantconfrontation
of manandwoman,
butin a settingat the farthestremovefromstreetencounters.
Althoughvividlyfixinga livedmoment,TheCageimmediately
locatesits spacein the artificial.Ona solidplatformsupported
by a high,tablelikestructure,the tiny figureof a monolithically
slimwomanfacesout;to herright,vastlylargerin massand
almostequalin height,is the profiledbustof a manwhosegaze
is directedat a rightangleto herown.Thetwoareplacedwithin
a spaceframesimilarto thoseof Suspended
BallandTheNose,
which,like the entireconstruction
that elevatesthemto the
expectedeyelevelof painting,announces
their removalfrom
the spaceof reality.Eachfigure,providedwithits ownsmall
pedestal,is to bereadasa statuettefixedin the realmof art.
Thisartworkwithinanartwork,like manymodernpaintingsand
someof Giacometti's
Surrealist
sculptures,
shiftsthe construction
of narrativefromthe artistto the beholder.AlthoughTheCage
is opento multipleinterpretations,
it is notdifficultto seethe
workasa metaphor
for Giacometti's
dailyconfrontation
withhis
grandsubjects:the encounters
betweenmenandwomen,the
encounters
betweenlife andart.
Ofall Giacometti's
worksfromthe extraordinarily
produc
tive yearsbetween1947and1951,TheChariot(1950)maybe
the mostmysterious
andarresting.Risingabovetwohigh
wheelsthat recallthoseof Egyptianbattlechariots,anelegantly
slenderfigureseemsbothfragileanddominating.
Theaesthet
ic, iconographic
lawby whichthe armsof Giacometti's
female
figuresmustbeboundto their bodiesis herebroken,andthe
armsof the figureareallowedtheirfreedomin a gesturethat is
at oncewelcoming
andforbidding.Thisgoddesslike
demeanor
is somewhat
undermined
bythe figure'sprecarious
equilibrium,
apparentlymaintained
by thesesamemeaningfulmovements
of herarms.Unlikethe muchsmallerwheelssupportingWoman
with Chariot(1942-43),the wheelsof TheChariotareheld
motionless
bytheirattachment
to woodchocks.
But,because
they
areupended,the chockscreateanapparentsituationthat might
bedescribed
asanaccidentwaitingto happen.TheChariot's
intimationsof instabilityset upambivalent
sensations;
at one
momentthe spectatorcansenseanincipientforwardmovement,
andat anotherthe reverse-aphenomenon
observable,
if less
apparent,in all of Giacometti's
femalefiguresof the period.
Walking
Man.1947.
Bronze,
66"/»xg'/ux 20'/,"(170x 23x 53cm).AlbertoGiacometti-Stiftung,
Zurich
21
10/11 RETURNING
TOPAINTING,
1949-65
Giacometti's
mid-l930smovetowardworkingbeforethe model
broughtwithit a renewed
interestin painting,but onethat had
onlya sporadichold.Beginning
in the late 1940s,however,
and
upuntil the endof hislife, sculptureandpaintinggrippedhim
withequalintensityand,ashasbeenobserved,
the practicesof
onesometimes
slippedoverinto thoseof the other.In neither
wasanythingallowedto appearcertain,andasa corollary,
Giacometti's
habitualwayof realizinga canvas
or a sculpturewas
througha process
of incessant
building,effacing,andbuilding
again.Giacometti
almostalwayspaintedfromlife, whetherpor
trait, still life, or landscape.
Hissculpturalpracticewasmore
flexible.Beginning
beforea model,hewasaslikelyasnotto put
the workasideafteroneor twosessions
andcontinueit from
memorywhenthe momentmovedhim.Giacometti
told the art
criticDavidSylvester
that afternoonhourshehadspentpainting
fromlife sometimes
cameto hisrescuewhen,in the evening,
hereturnedto hisattemptsto finisha sculpture.Thissymbiotic
interactionaidedhimin keepinga passage
openbetweenthe
polesof hisinspiration,the innerandouterrealmsof vision.
Giacometti's
preferredformatin the paintingsof 1949-50
wasa singlefigurein aninterior,usuallyseatedin the studio.
Oneof the mostcompellingof theseis Annettewith Chariot
(1950).Giacometti's
youngbrideis posedona stoolin the exact
middleof the painting,jostledonherrightbythe newlyexe
cutedFourFigurinesona Standandonherleft by the equally
recentsculptureTheChariot.A traditionalone-pointperspective
mightbesaidto obtainhere,butits usefulness
consistsin the
distortionsit allows.Theorthogonals
establishing
the far corner
of the studioretreatalongsuchsharpdiagonalpathsthattheir
convergence
pitchesthe floorforwardevenasit compresses
the
spaceof the pictureintothetight confinesof a receding
triangle—
itself immediatelycountered
bythe forward-thrusting
wedge
formedby Annetteandherflankingsculptures.Lookingat the
picture,oneseemsto bestandingverynearher,yet onesees
herproportionally
asonewouldif shewereat a distanceacross
the studio.Theinteriorframethat Giacometti
almostalways
drewaroundhiscompositions
is hereonlypartiallyindicated
alongthe bottom,upperright,andleft edgeof the paintingin a
skewedline that aggravates
the picture'sforwardtilt. Annetteis
evidentlythe protagonist
of this composition,
yet the spaceshe
is in is almostasforcefullypresent,its substance
definedby
22
linearvectorscrisscrossing
a semitransparent
film of gray-brown
paint.Andeverywhere,
volumeandspaceareporous.Behind
Annette'srightshoulderandglimpsedthroughthe barsof Four
Figurinesona 5tandis the figureof FlandsFloldingthe Void,
whosecontoursareindicatedby linesambivalently
describing
formandthe fall of light.
In Diegoin a PlaidShirt,paintedfouryearsafterAnnette
with Chariot,the half-lengthfigureconfrontsthe viewermuch
ashemusthavefacedhisbrotherwhilesittingfor the picture.
HereGiacometti
presentshissubjectalmostnaturalistically,
and
allowshimselfa rareexcursion
into brightcolor.Still, hehas
keyedupthe nearness
of the figurewiththe kindof optical
perspective
of a snapshot,
andmaintained
the visibilityof
space-lessbylinesthanby a dense,sometimes
opaque,some
timestranslucent,
veil of paintthat bothsurrounds
andmerges
AnnettewithChariot.
1950.Oiloncanvas,
28V4Xl9"/u"(73x50cm).Private
collection
23
withthe figure.Thisincursiveness
of spaceis evenmoreperva
sivein twoportraitsof JeanGenetpaintedshortlyafterthe
Diegoportrait.In one,basedonanEgyptianfigureof a seated
scribein the Louvre,the subjectagainseemsveryclose,his
nearextremities(thelegs)enlargedasif by photographic
lens
in a mannerfar moreacutethanthe treatmentof handandthigh
in the portraitof Diego.Genetremembers
seeingthisimagein
the cramped
quartersof Giacometti's
studioas"a tangleof
curvedlines,commas,
closedcirclescrossedby a secant,"and
the colorsas"somewhat
rose,grayor blackanda strange
green-averyfine entanglement
he [Giacometti]wasmaking
andwherenodoubthelost himself."Theideacameto Genetto
takethe pictureinto the courtyardoutsideGiacometti's
studio,
andherecallsthe effectasstunning;the furtherhegot from
the picture,the moreit tookform,tookona realitythat he
foundfrightening,radiatinga livingpresence
not of a single
momentbut of all the livedmomentsof its subject.Genet's
experiment
withdistanceandformcanbereenacted
withalmost
all of Giacometti's
elongatedsculptedfigures;seencloseup,
the figuresdisappear
andthe imagesdissolve.All that remains
is the materialcomprising
them.
Verycloseinspectionjuxtaposed
witha readingat conven
tionalviewingdistanceof Giacometti's
still lifes andlandscapes
will reveala similarphenomenon
of formlessness
convertingto
form.Thisis nota pictorialtechniqueintroducedby Giacometti;
it canbeseenin variousold masters,as,for example,in certain
of Rembrandt's
self-portraits,wherethe handsseencloseupare
anincomprehensible
jumbleof brushstrokes
andbecomefirmly
modeledat a distanceof a fewfeet. ThemodernityGiacometti
bringsto this old ploylies in hisunabashed
displayof process.
Asidefromthe implicittestimonyof Giacometti's
paint
ings,weknowfromthe accounts
of Sylvester
andJamesLord
(bothwritersandfriendsof the artist,aswellassittersfor him)
thatthe artist'spicture-making
process
wasagonizinglypro
tracted,markedby dailylosingsandfindingsandrefindingsof
the likenesshesought.Bothreportthatthe innumerable
states
a picturemightgothroughwereoftenasmuchfinishedasthe
final version;the finality of anyoneversionwasfrequently
established
whenthe sitter becameunavailable.
All of the por
traitsof theJapanese
philosophyprofessorIsakuYanaihara,
executedbetween1956and1961,bearwitnessto thesestrug
gles.TheYanaihara
portraitspreparedGiacometti
for the series
24
hewouldmakeof Caroline,
a youngprostitutehehadmetin
1959.A freshimmediacy
andintensityof encounter
radiate
fromGiacometti's
imagesof her.In CarolineII (1962),the torso,
treatedin analmostAbstractExpressionist
manner,risesbefore
the viewerat a distancethatseemsat oncenearandfar.The
yellow-brown
spreadof paintsurrounding
herfigureis her
ownparticularspace,a kindof etherealthronethat imperially
ignoresthe boundaries
markingthe interiorframeof the picture.
Thefigure'sheadseemsprojectedforwardwithnearsculptural
force.Its built-up,reworked
andlayeredsurfacestandsin
relief-likecontrastto the rapid,dartinglinesof the body,which
configurethemselves
into a whitenedVshapethat leadsthe
viewer'seyeupto the faceandits unrelentinggaze.
12 DRAWINGS,
1951-64/STUDIES
OFDIEGO
ANDANNETTE:
1950-54
Drawinghadalwaysbeenat the heartof Giacometti's
endeavor.
Hegrewupdrawingandneverceased.Hecreditedthe medium
withmanyof hisaestheticbreakthroughs,
whichcameabout
throughthe heightened
awareness
andvisualconcentration
the process
brought.Althoughhemightmakesketches
after
hisownwork,healmostnevermadepreparatory
studiesfor
specificsculptures
or paintings-the
seek-and-findnatureof his
approach
to paintingandsculpturewouldhaveruledoutsuch
premeditation.
Duringhispostwarperiodin particular,there
wasrarelya pointin the construction
of a workwhenhiseye
lostits criticaledge,whenit told himthat anyonepiecewas
complete-rather,
it consistently
led himto furtherandyetfurther
explorations.
Heworkedwitha kindof sustainedspontaneity
that left little roomfor distinctionsbetweenpreparation
andexecution.
Owingto the natureof the medium,a greaterrangeof
subjectswasavailableto Giacometti
asa draftsman
thanasa
painteror sculptor.Onlypartiallyexcluding
hisSurrealist
objects,
Giacometti's
constantsculpturalmotifwasthe grandthemeof
classictradition,the humanfigure-variedonlyrarelyby brief
foraysinto the animalworld.Althoughfar froma conventional
artist,Giacometti
aspaintertookhissubjectsfromthe three
greatgenresof the art: the figure,the landscape,
andthe still
life. Hisdrawings
addto theseonlyin their greatervariationon
persistentthemesandbythe manycopiesof masterpieces
of
the pastthat hemadefromchildhoodthrougholdage.
25
/u"
,s
/i»xl2
u
TheworldGiacometti
foundhimselfin washisto draw,and
hisrepresentation
of it wasprolificandwonderfullyskilled.His
useof the whiteof the papersupportfills portraits,landscapes,
andstill lifesalikewithnuminous
energy.Hisempathic
identifi
cationwithhissubjectsradiatesfromportraitsof friendssuchas
thoseof GenetandLord,andhisnephew
SilvioBerthoud,
andis
especially
apparentin AnnetteIVandAnnetteV,donein the last
yearsof hislife. Giacometti
oftenmadeself-portraits,butafter
the early1920stheywerenotsculptedor paintedbutwerealways
donein penor pencilonpaper.In oneespeciallyfinely worked
self-portraitof i960, the artistpresentshimselfprematurely
agedandfixingthe worldwitha steady,tolerantregard.During
the courseof Giacometti's
life, hismotherwasoften
hissubject;amongthe most
poignantof thesedrawings
aretwoimagesshowingher
in 1963,the lastyearof her
life. In one,hergesturesug
geststhat sheis sewing,her
fragilityapparentin the net
workof delicatelinesthat
describeherheadandhands;
in the other,sheis reading,
herheadandcrossedhands
moreforcefullypresented
to
indicatea light fromabove
illuminatingthe bookthat
sheholds.Roughlycontem
porarydrawings
showa room
"M'
Self-Portrait,i960.Pencilonpaper,19
(50.4
x32.8
cm).
Kiewan
collection
in the Hotel L'Aiglon on the
boulevard
Raspailin Paris,to whichGiacometti
hadretreatedto
convalesce
fromthe stomachsurgeryhehadundergone
the
previousFebruary.
Thebanalobjectsin the room-tablecloth,
table,andarmchair-are
schematically
indicatedby variously
crispandfuzzypencilstrokes,which,in magictandemwith
Giacometti's
eraser,createthe shaftof light andthe soft breeze
that visiblyenterthe roomthroughthe windowto the left.
In 1953,afterreturningto life studiesin sculpture,
Giacometti
beganto extendAnnette'sroleasa model,working
with hernotonlyfor paintingsbutalsofor sculptures.
The
resultingfigures,suchasStandingNudeIII, of 1963,andNude,
26
afterNatureandStandingNudewithoutArmsof the following
year,sharelittle otherthantheirfrontalpostures
withtheirmuch
thinner,"visionary"predecessors
of 1947-50.Farmorenatura
listic in form,theyalsohavelessconvulsively
workedsurfaces.
Asapparentin someslightlyearlierbustsof Diego,Giacometti's
interesthadturnedtowardanexpressivity
morecloselytied to
physicalappearance.
Initially,in hisbustsof Diegoof 1950and
1951,a naturalism
parallelto the figuresof Annetteof three
yearslateris manifest.Whilethis newtendencydid notvanish
withthe bustsof Diegomadein 1953and1954,theyweresub
ject to moreradicalalterationsthanthe Annettes.Forhislarge,
weightierfigures,Giacometti
gaveupthe distancingpedestal,
transferringits formalandweight-bearing
functionsto the
uppertorso,which,in combination
withthe moretraditionally
modeledheads,produced
a newsolidity.Torelievethe inert
qualitieshedetectedin the moreconventional
heads,hebegan
to breakupthe surfaceevenmoredeterminedly
thanhehadin
the past.Thisemphasis
onthe materialityof the sculptureadded
a newdimension
to anaestheticdevicethat, whenappliedto
the slenderfiguresof someyearsearlier,hadcontributedto a
sense,not of substantiality,but ratherof materialdissolution.
Through
the relationof narrowheadto imposingbody,
Giacometti
founda meansto manipulate
perception.
In painting,
close-upviewsandthosetakenat a lowangletendto causea
senseof perspectival
retreat.Transferring
this principleto sculp
ture,Giacometti
wasmostsuccessful
in histreatmentof Diego
in a Sweater(1953),wherethe expanse
andweightof the body
conspireto drawattentionto the small,intenselygazinghead
above.Thecontrastof tiny headandmassive
pedestaldeveloped
in the minuscule
sculptures
is hereexponentially
heightened.
A problemthat constantlyplaguedGiacometti—
the
discrepancy
betweenthe front viewof a headandits profile
(thevexatious
factthat neithercouldbeinferredfromthe
other)-wasaddressed
in a seriesof bladelikeheadsof 1954-55In the late 1920s,to solveotherproblems,hehadflattenedthe
headcrosswise
in hisportraitof hismotherandthe slightlylater
GazingHead; now,in the mid1950s,heflattenedit fromfront
to back,treatingit ratherashe hadthe bodyin Caressof 1932.
LargeHeadof Diego(1954)presentsa conventional
viewof
shoulders
surmounted
bya ratherunusualhead;composed
of
low-reliefprofilessetat rightanglesto the body,the head
offersa fleetingfrontalaspect-only,however,
if the vieweris
27
stationednose-to-nose
andeye-to-eyewithit. Aninchor two
to the right or left andoneeyeseesthe bladeedgeof the head
whilethe otherregistersa profile.HereGiacometti
manages
to
imposehisownacuteawareness
of the contradictory
natureof
perception
onanyoneopento anotherlookat the world.
13 THEWOMEN
OFVENICE
ANDFIGURES
FOR
A PUBLIC
PROJECT,
1956AND1960
ThestandingfemalefiguresGiacometti
madein anticipation
of an
exhibitionof hisworkin the Frenchpavilionof the 1956Venice
Biennalehaveachieved
analmostcultlikestatus.Between
January
andMayof that year,the artist,usingthe sameclay
overthe samewirearmature,produced
somefifteenfigures,
which,the momenthefoundthemsatisfactory,hisbrother
Diegocastin plaster.Tenof thesewereseenin Venice,andnine
werelatercastin bronze.Theexperience
gainedfrommaking
the bustsof Diegois evidentin thesefiguresin a lateralflat
teningof theirtorsosanda front-to-backnarrowing
of their
headsandfeet. Moreemphatically
three-dimensional
thantheir
predecessors
of the late 1940sandearly1950s,thesefigures
synthesize
suchlife studiesasthe Annettesof 1953and1954
withthe earliermorevisionarynudes.Morethanlikely, the
Womenof Venicewerethe subjectof a conversation
between
GenetandGiacometti
that wentlike this: (Giacometti)
WhenI'm
walkingin the streetandseea prostitutecompletelydressed,I
seea prostitute.Whenshe'sin a roomnakedin front of me,I
seea goddess.(Genet)Formea nakedwomanis a naked
woman.Thatmakesnoimpression
onme.Butin yourstatuesI
seethe Goddess.
(Giacometti)
Youthinkthat I'vesucceeded
in
showingthemlike I seethem?
Giacometti
hadhisWomenof Venicein mindwhen,in
response
to aninvitationto makea publicsculpturefor the new
Chase
Manhattan
Plazain NewYork,heproposed
a groupof
threelarger-than-lifesculptures:
a standingwoman,a walking
man,anda headona pedestal.Theideaof groupinga number
of sculpturalformsin a publicgatheringplacewentbackto
Giacometti's
Modelfor a Squareof 1930-31.Presented
withthe
actualopportunityin 1956,however,
henaturallythoughtof
figuresthat hadbeenthe majorthemesof hisworkduringthe
previousten years-thewalkingmanasthe symbolof human
striving,the headasthe site of visionandconsciousness,
and,
mostcomplexof all, the standingfemalenudeasgoddess,giver
28
s/«"
BustofDiego.1951.Bronze,
painted,13V«xl2x6 (35x30.5x16cm).
Collection
JanandMarie-Anne
Krugier-Poniatowski
of life, and,alwaysfor Giacometti,
the Other.Severalversions
of the figureswerecastin bronzein i960, althoughthe com
missionhadbeen,for variousreasons,withdrawn.
When
Giacometti
cameto NewYorkfor his1965retrospective
at The
Museum
of ModernArt, hevisitedthe siteandconcluded
that a
singlestandingwoman,twenty-fivefeet tall, wouldhavebest
suitedthe surroundings.
14 THELAST
YEARS,
1962-65
Otherthanexhibitinga pronounced
interestin the expressive
possibilitiesof the pedestalanda similarroughtreatmentof
surface,Giacometti's
portraitbustsof Annettefrom1962and
thosemadeof hisfriendthe photographer
ElieLotarthreeyears
laterevidence
fewcommon
traits.Thebustsof Annetteshow
herindividuality;embodying
vivaciouspersonality,theyengage
the viewerwiththeirlively presence.
Thoseof Lotararethe
almostgenericpresentation
of "manat the endof hislife";
theyarethe facesof old men,their piercinggazesnolonger
appearaimedat the viewerbutat somerealitybeyond.A critic
closeto Giacometti
observed
thatthe bustshavelittle specific
29
resemblance
to Lotar,andconjectured
that in their universality
asimagesof a beingconsciously
at death'sabyss,theyareselfportraitsof the artist.Thefactthatthesewerethe lastworks
Giacometti
completed
beforehediedlendsthema character
of
final achievement,
anelegiactranscendent
aura.
Giacometti's
self-imposed,self-defined"impossible"
projectof capturinglivedexperience
oftenleft himlamenting,
if notin somewaysboasting,of hisfailure.Hewrote,"Thedays
pass,andI deludemyselfthat I amtrapping,holdingback,what's
fleeting."Buthisdeludingof himselfwas,asit were,cleareyed,
andhisrepeatedpronouncements
of failurehadanoptimistic
sideto them:"All I candowill onlyeverbea faint imageof what
I seeandsuccess
will alwaysbelessthanmyfailureor perhaps
equalto the failure."Giacometti's
obsessive
attemptsto achieve
that criticalequationbetweensuccess
andfailurehaveleft us
anart that expresses
the humanconditionwitha startlingand
enduringrelevance.
LotarIII. 1965.Bronze,
25% x 11x 14"(65.5x 28x 35-5cm).Private
collection
30
Public
Programs
Fall2001Thefollowingprograms
will beheldin
conjunction
withthe exhibitionAlbertoGiacometti.
HOW
ALBERTO
BECAME
GIACOMETTI
Monday,October15
Art historianReinhold
HohlandGiacometti
biographer
James
Lorddiscussthe life andvisionaryworkof AlbertoGiacometti.
GIACOMETTI'S
DOGMonday,October22
Art criticMichael
Brenson
examines
the textureandpoetryof
Giacometti's
workthrougha sustained
lookat oneof the artist's
mostbelovedsculptures,
Dog,of 1951.
PERCEPTIONS
ATPLAY:
GIACOMETTI
THROUGH
CONTEMPORARY
EYES
Monday,November
5
Roxana
Marcoci,
JaniceH.LevinFellowandCuratorial
Assistant,
Department
of PaintingandSculpture,
TheMuseum
of Modern
Art,addresses
the waysin whichcontemporary
artistssuchas
JanineAntoni,LouiseBourgeois,
RobertGober,PaulMcCarthy,
BruceNauman,
andGabrielOrozco,
amongothers,havekept
AlbertoGiacometti's
legacyoperativein their presentwork.
GIACOMETTI'S
GRANDE
FIGURE
Friday,November
16
Art historianFriedrich
TejaBach
considers
Giacometti's
first
monumental
outdoorsculpture,GrandeFigure(alsoknownas
Figurein a Garden
) of 1930-32,in relationto the artist's
contemporaneous
Surrealistobjects,andto the problemsof
site-specificity.GrandeFigureis beingshownpubliclyfor the
first timein this exhibition.
ALBERTO
GIACOMETTI:
ANARTIST'S
PANEL
Monday,November
19
A paneldiscussion
withartistsVanessa
Beecroft,
VijaCelmins,
Richard
SerraandWilliam
Tucker,
moderated
byAnneUmland,
Associate
Curator,Department
of PaintingandSculpture,
The
Museum
of ModernArt,andco-organizer
of theAlberto
Giacometti
exhibition.
All programs
beginat 6:30p.m.andtakeplaceat the Donnell
LibraryCenterAuditorium,20West53Street(pleaseenter
libraryby eastdoor).Ticketsare$8; members
$7;studentsand
seniors$5andareavailableat TheMuseum
of ModernArt's
LobbyInformationDesk.Formoreinformation,pleasecallthe
Department
of Education
at 212.708.
9781.
31
PUBLICATION
Alberto
Giacometti
ChristianKlemm,in collaboration
withCarolynLanchner,
Tobia
Bezzola,
andAnneUmland
Thepublicationaccompanying
theAlbertoGiacometti
exhibition
is the mostcomprehensive
surveyin manyyearsof the workof
oneof the twentiethcentury'sgreatestartists.
Thisexhibitionis madepossiblebyJoanandPrestonRobertTisch.
Majorcorporatesponsorship
is providedby Banana
Republic.
Anindemnityhasbeengrantedby the FederalCouncilonthe Artsand
the Humanities.
Additionalfundingis providedby Presence
Switzerland,
Dr.andMrs.DavidA.
Cofrin,MargaretandHermanSokol,andProHelvetia.
Theaccompanying
publicationis madepossibleby the Blanchette
Hooker
Rockefeller
Fund.
ThisexhibitionwasorganizedbyTheMuseumof ModernArt andthe Kunsthaus
Zurichwiththe collaboration
of the AlbertoGiacometti
Foundation.
Cover:
Giacometti
in hisStudio,Paris,c. i960.Photo:© ErnstScheidegger/NZZ
ProLitteris
Allworksof AlbertoGiacometti
© 2001ArtistsRightsSociety(ARS),NewYork/ADAGP,
Paris
32