Giacometti made figures so thin they look like they might snap. The bronze men walking, standing, pointing: elongated to the edge of disappearing. They look like people seen from very far away, or people being consumed by the space around them. He spent decades trying to sculpt what he actually saw, which was never quite solid enough.
Key facts
- Lived
- 1901–1966, Swiss
- Movement
- Works held in
- 32 museums[1]
Biography
He grew up in Borgonovo, in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. His father, Giovanni, was a Post-Impressionist painter. His godfather was the Fauvist painter Cuno Amiet. Art was the family trade. He studied at the Ecole des Arts Industriels in Geneva and then moved to Paris in 1922, where he worked in Antoine Bourdelle's studio and became involved with the Surrealists.
The Surrealist period produced strange, dreamlike objects: The Palace at 4 A.M., Woman with Her Throat Cut, Suspended Ball. Breton embraced him. Then Giacometti went back to working from the model, which the Surrealists considered reactionary, and Breton expelled him. He spent the next fifteen years in a tiny studio, 23 metres square, trying to make a head that looked the way a head actually appears in lived experience.
The figures shrank. He could not get the proportions right. He could not capture the experience of seeing a person across a room, where the figure occupies a tiny fraction of the visual field but commands all the attention. The thin, elongated figures that emerged in the late 1940s were not stylistic choices. They were the closest he could get to what he saw.
He died in 1966, at sixty-four. His studio in Montparnasse has been reconstructed in the Giacometti Institute in Paris, plaster dust and all.
Timeline
- 1901Born
- 1948Painted “The Nose”
- 1955Painted “Grande tête mince”
- 1956Painted “L'Homme qui marche I”
- 1959Painted “Grande Femme II”
- 1966Died
Notable Works
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Where to See Alberto Giacometti
22 museums worldwide.
-
9 works
Museum of Modern Art
Midtown Manhattan, United States
-
5 works
Beyeler Foundation
Riehen, Switzerland
-
5 works
Kunsthaus Zürich
Zurich, Switzerland
Related Artists
Frequently Asked Questions
Alberto giacometti art movement?
Alberto Giacometti worked as a Surrealist in the 1930s. He also worked as an Existentialist after the Second World War.How did alberto giacometti die?
Alberto Giacometti died in 1966 at the age of 65.Is alberto giacometti still alive?
No, Alberto Giacometti died in 1966.Was alberto giacometti italian?
Alberto Giacometti was born in Stampa, Switzerland. He was born in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland.What is alberto giacometti best known for?
Alberto Giacometti is best known for his characteristic style of long, thin figures. His main themes were walking man, standing woman, and the bust or head.When did alberto giacometti start sculpting?
Alberto Giacometti began studying sculpture at the Ecole des Arts et Metiers in Geneva in 1919. He later studied with Bourdelle from 1922-1925.Who was alberto giacometti inspired by?
Many young artists had gathered round Matisse and Picasso. Alberto Giacometti was one of them.Why did alberto giacometti make his sculptures?
Alberto Giacometti wanted to make statues, but could not figure out how. He would shatter everything and begin anew until his friends would save a head, young woman, or adolescent from destruction.When did alberto giacometti live?
Alberto Giacometti was born on October 10, 1901, and died in 1966. He lived from 1901 to 1966.Why is alberto giacometti famous?
Alberto Giacometti is famed mainly for his spindly figurative sculptures. His art conveys a sense of alienation and anxiety.5 facts about alberto giacometti?
Alberto Giacometti was born in Stampa, Switzerland. He was the son of Neo-Impressionist painter Augusto Giacometti. In 1929, he joined the Surrealist group, and he became firm friends with Francis Bacon. He later returned to the figure in the mid-1930s.What was alberto giacometti art style?
Alberto Giacometti adopted a characteristic style of long, thin figures by 1947. His three main themes were walking man, standing woman, and the bust or head.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Alberto Giacometti.
- [1] museum Städel Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] museum Alberto Giacometti-Stiftung Used for: museum holdings.
- [3] museum Sprengel Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [4] museum Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen Used for: museum holdings.
- [5] museum Museum of Fine Arts Boston Used for: museum holdings.
- [6] museum Carnegie Museum of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [7] book guggenheim-futurismmodernfo00solo Used for: biography.
- [8] book guggenheim-guhe00solo Used for: biography.
- [9] book guggenheim-handboo00pegg Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-24. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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