Alberto Giacometti was born in the swiss valley named Val Bregaglia in Stampa. His father Giovanni Giacometti was a well known post impressionist painter. His style emphasized color and he was well known in the commercial adveristising circles for his posters. Here is a picture by Giovanni below. The artist received great training from his father at a very young age by drawing family members and copying the various busts that were in his father’s studio. In addition to studies with his father at a very young age Giacometti attended the School of Fine Arts in Geneva, Switzerland.
Giovanni’s dad’s second cousin was also a painter named Augusto Giacometti.
In 1922, the artist took off for the city for artists, Paris. Whilst in Paris the artist studied under a contemporary of August Rodin named Antoine Burdelle. Burdelle was painting instructor who had the influence of Surreal art on Giacometii. In Paris he met such artists as Picasso, Joan Miro, and Max Ernst.
The 1930s brought more work for the figure to the artist. He mainly worked with family and friends as models. Some of his favorite models were his brothers and another artist named Isabel Delmer. It was she was the basis for his elongated figures. The artist came about this style by starting and making a basic realistic sculpture of a person then reworking the piece many times over. The end result was more an example of the feelings were going thru his body when he looked at women. Many times he would carve the women with such thin limbs that the arms or legs would just break off, much to his dismay.
In 1958 the artist took on a large commission for the Chase Manhattan Bank. It was to be four large sculptures of women who were standing in various poses. The artist didn’t like the site and eventually abandoned the project.
In 1962 the artist took grand prize at the Venice Biennale, and as a result became even more famous worldwide.
The artist died in 1966 from heart disease.
What a great clip. You can watch Alberto paint a portrait. A master at his canvas!
Check out his some of Giacometti’s sculptures here, as they appeared at an exhibit in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2008. Its fun to see a Surrealist style in three dimensions.
I enjoy this artist for his figure work the most, its fun to see a Surrealist painting be in three dimensions, its why I love looking at the clock sculptures of Dali, you can touch his imagination and its awesome! To compare this artist to someone working in the field today it would be Phillip Jackson. Be noted reader that Jackson is my favorite figure scultpor. His elongated figures have clothes and accessories that make them seem lively, sometimes as if they are dancing.
https://diattaart.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/artists-working-with-the-figure-sculptor-philip-jackson/
Price range info: The artist worked in mediums such as pen, bronze, watercolor, etching, lithograph, and oils. Bronzes have sold for more than 3.5 million dollars. Lithographs can be found for less than one thousand dollars. Etchings can be found for around $600.
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