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Alberto Giacometti Art

Swiss, 1901-1966

Alberto Giacometti was a painter, printmaker and furniture designer but he is best known as one of the 20th century’s most important sculptors. He is revered for the elongated, slender human figures he created in the years following World War II that reflected existentialism and the trauma associated with the conflict.

Giacometti was born in Borgonovo, Switzerland, in 1901 to a creative family. His father Giovanni was a Post-Impressionist painter, his godfather Cuno Amiet was a Fauvist painter, his brother Bruno was an architect, and his other brother Diego was an artist and furniture designer who also served as Giacometti’s model. (The sculptor worked chiefly with models plucked from his personal life.)

Beginning in 1922, Giacometti studied at the Académie de la Grande-Chaumière in Paris and was influenced by the Cubist work of Alexander Archipenko, Raymond Duchamp-Villon and the post-Cubist sculptures of Jacques Lipchitz and Henri Laurens.

During the 1930s, Giacometti designed furniture such as lamps, vases and wall décor to earn a living, often collaborating with interior designer Jean-Michel Frank, whose interiors tastefully mixed extravagance with sophisticated simplicity. However, Giacometti’s passion lay in creating sculptures.

Alberto and his brother Diego left Paris in 1940 to escape the Nazi invasion and spent time in the South of France before fleeing to Geneva, remaining there until 1946. In 1947, Giacometti began work on his most famous sculptures — very tall and thin figurines that came to be associated with frailty and loneliness.

Giacometti catapulted to fame in the United States following two exhibitions of his sculptures in 1948 and 1950 at the Pierre Matisse Gallery in New York City — Jean-Paul Sartre authored the catalogue essay for the latter. In 1961, Giacometti’s friend, Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, asked him to design the set for a re-staging of his play “Waiting for Godot.” His response took on the form of a single plaster tree.

In 1962, Giacometti won the grand prize for sculpture at the Venice Biennale, and for much of the rest of his career, he created modern paintings, drawings and sculptures of plaster, clay and bronze in his small Paris studio. He died in 1966.

Giacometti’s works continue to enthrall collectors. In 2010, his life-size bronze sculpture L'Homme qui marche (“the man who walks”), which now adorns the 100 Swiss Franc banknote, became one of the most expensive sculptures to be sold at auction.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Alberto Giacometti wall decorations, prints and sculptures.

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Artist: Alberto Giacometti
original lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1961 for the art revue Derriere le Miroir (issue number 127) and published in Paris by Maeght. Size: 15 x 11 inches (378 x 278 mm). There is p...
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1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Composition, Feuilles éparses, Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on vélin cuve de Rives paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the folio, Feuilles éparses, 1965. Published and printed by Louis B...
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1960s Surrealist Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

Diego
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in London, GB
Lithograph, 1963. Signed and numbered 23 of an edition of 100 in pencil. Dimensions: 57 x 41 cm. Published by Einaudi, Turin. Reference: Lust 39.
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1960s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Bust of a Seated Man (Jacques Dupin) - Lithograph by Alberto Giacometti - 1961
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph on vélin realized by Giacometti for Derrière le Miroir n. 127, in 1961. Ref. lust 152; ADG (Alberto Giacometti's Database) 334 Very good condition.
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1960s Contemporary Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Search
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in London, GB
Alberto Giacometti The Search , ca. 1968 Restrike Etching unsigned comes with COA from publishers 25.4 × 20.3 cm 51 x 40.5 cm (framed)
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1960s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Man Walking in the Sun - Orangerie des Tuileries by Alberto Giacometti, 1969
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in New York, NY
Artist: Alberto Giacometti Medium: Lithographic Poster, 1969 Dimensions: 26 x 19.5 in, 66 x 49.5 cm Arches Paper - Excellent Condition A This lithographic poster for an exhibitio...
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1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

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Lithograph

Broach (Bird with unfolded wings)
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Ottikon, CH
The work is registered and archived at the Fondation Giacometti in Paris under no. 4578. Only seven pieces of this brooch are known. Six pieces face to the right and one piece to th...
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1930s Alberto Giacometti Art

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Bronze

original lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Catalogue reference: Lust 100. Printed for Derriere le Miroir (issue number 98) and published in Paris in 1957 by Maeght. Sheet size: 15 x 22 inches. The...
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1950s Alberto Giacometti Art

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Lithograph

Untitled By Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in London, GB
Untitled By Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor and painter known for his distinctive, elongated figures that convey a sense of existential loneliness and h...
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1960s Contemporary Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

"L'Arbre" original lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1952 for the art revue Verve (Volume 7, Number 27-28) and published in Paris by Teriade. Size: 13 7/8 x 10 3/8 inches (352 x 263 mm). There is...
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1950s Alberto Giacometti Art

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Lithograph

Homme Assis et Personnage - Pencil Drawing by A. Giacometti - 1953
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Roma, IT
Homme assis et personnage is a pencil drawing realized by Alberto Giacometti on a page of Louis Guilloux's "La merveille", published in "Les Lettres Nouvelles", n°7, septembre 1953, p. 779. Giacometti sketched a male portrait in his typical style. The man is in profile and on the right side of the page there is a small study of a standing figure. Following Fondation Giacometti, it was realized by the author on September 1953. As James Lord...
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1950s Contemporary Alberto Giacometti Art

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Pencil

"Objets mobiles et muet" original lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Catalogue reference: Lust 1. Executed in 1931, this is the first lithograph created by Giacometti. This impression is from the second edition, printed in...
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1950s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Executed for Derriere le Miroir (No. 148) in 1964, and published in Paris by Maeght. This lithograph was published on the occasion of the inauguration of...
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1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Studio with the Stove - Original Etching, 1956
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Paris, IDF
Alberto GIACOMETTI Studio with the Stove, 1956 Original etching On Arches vellum 32.5 x 25 cm (c. 13 x 10 inches) REFERENCES: - Eberhard W. Kornfeld et la Fondation Giacometti...
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1950s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

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Etching

Annette Facing Front
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Alberto Giacometti Title: Annette Facing Front Portfolio: Derriere le Miroir Tenth Anniversary Edition Medium: Etching Date: 1956 Edition: 2000 Frame Size: 19 1/2" x 14 1/4" ...
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1950s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

The Pointing Man, in the Studio L’homme qui pointe dans l’atelier - Swiss Art
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in London, GB
ALBERTO GIACOMETTI 1901-1966 Borgonovo 1901-1966 Chur, Switzerland (Swiss) Title: The Pointing Man, in the Studio L’homme qui pointe dans l’atelier, 1951 Technique: Original Hand ...
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1950s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Alberto Giacometti -- Small Standing Nude
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Alberto Giacometti (Swiss, 1901 - 1966) Small Standing Nude, 1959 Etching on paper Edition: 47/50 Hand signed and numbered below the image Image size 15.0 x 8.0 cm Frame size 42.5 x...
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1950s Alberto Giacometti Art

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Etching

Mother - Original Lithograph, 1956
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Paris, IDF
Alberto Giacometti Mother, 1956 Original lithograph On wove paper 31.5 x 24.5 cm (c. 12.4 x 9.6 inches) Edited by San Lazaro in 1956 Excellent condition
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1950s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Annette, " by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Annette" is an original black and white lithograph by Alberto Giacometti. It depicts the bust of a nude woman in scratchy lines. Annette was Alberto's wife and frequently modeled for his sculptures and drawings. 10" x 7 1/4" art 21 1/4" x 18 5/8" frame Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) was born in Borgonovo, a Swiss municipality, to the post-impressionist painter Giovanni Giacometti. In 1922 he moved to Paris to study under the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, an associate of Auguste Rodin. It was there that Giacometti experimented with cubism and surrealism and came to be regarded as one of the leading surrealist sculptors. Among his associates were Joan Miró, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, Bror Hjorth and Balthus. Between 1936 and 1940, Giacometti concentrated his sculpting on the human head, focusing on the sitter's gaze. He preferred models he was close to, his sister and the artist Isabel Rawsthorne (then known as Isabel Delmer). This was followed by a unique artistic phase in which his statues of Isabel became stretched out; her limbs elongated. Obsessed with creating his sculptures exactly as he envisaged through his unique view of reality, he often carved until they were as thin as nails and reduced to the size of a pack of cigarettes, much to his consternation. A friend of his once said that if Giacometti decided to sculpt you, "he would make your head look like the blade of a knife." After his marriage to Annette Arm in 1946 his tiny sculptures became larger, but the larger they grew, the thinner they became. Giacometti said that the final result represented the sensation he felt when he looked at a woman. In 1962, Giacometti was awarded the grand prize for sculpture at the Venice Biennale, and the award brought with it worldwide fame. Even when he had achieved popularity and his work was in demand, he still reworked models, often destroying them or setting them aside to be returned to years later. The prints produced by Giacometti are often overlooked but the catalogue raisonné, Giacometti - The Complete Graphics and 15 Drawings by Herbert Lust (Tudor 1970), comments on their impact and gives details of the number of copies of each print. Some of his most important images were in editions of only 30 and many were described as rare in 1970. In his later years Giacometti's works were shown in a number of large exhibitions throughout Europe. Riding a wave of international popularity, and despite his declining health, he travelled to the United States in 1965 for an exhibition of his works at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. As his last work he prepared the text for the book Paris sans fin...
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1960s Minimalist Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Nu Assis, " an Original Lithograph signed by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Alberto Giacometti's "Nu Assis", seated nude, is an original lithograph numbered 40 of 75. It is from 1961 and is signed lower right. 22" x 30" art 31 1/4" x 39 1/4" framed "Alber...
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1960s Expressionist Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

SCULPTURES DANS L'ATELIER
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand signed and numbered by the artist. Etching on wove paper. Lust 185. Published by Galerie Beyeler, Basel. Edition 52/150. Artwork is in overall excellent condition. White spot...
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1960s Expressionist Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Paper, Etching

Alberto Giacometti, rare vintage original poster
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Rare vintage original poster published by the famous Paris Gallery Claude Bernard pour an historic exhibition of Jean Dubuffet in the sixties (1964) about the Hourloupe series. Jean ...
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1960s Expressionist Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Paper

Alberto Giacometti - Portrait
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Alberto Giacometti - Portrait Engraving (after the drawing) Published in the deluxe art review, XXe Siecle 1956 Dimensions: 32 x 24 cm Publisher: G. di San Lazzaro. From the art Re...
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1950s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Engraving

Studio with the Turntable - Original Etching, 1964
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Paris, IDF
Alberto GIACOMETTI Studio with the Turntable, 1964 Original etching On Arches vellum 56.5 x 38 cm (c. 22.2 x 15 inches) REFERENCES: - Eberhard W. Kornfeld et la Fondation Giac...
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1960s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

Histoire de rats (Selft portrait), Etching by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Long Island City, NY
Alberto Giacometti, Swiss (1901 - 1966) - Histoire de rats (Selft portrait), Year: 1947 (Printed 1995), Medium: Etching on Arches, Image Size: 5.5 x 3.5 inches, Size: 8 x 6.5 in. (2...
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1940s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

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Etching

Nude with Flowers Nu aux fleurs - Italian Art, Swiss Artist, Scultural
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in London, GB
ALBERTO GIACOMETTI 1901-1966 Borgonovo 1901-1966 Chur, Switzerland (Swiss) Title: Nude with Flowers Nu aux fleurs, 1960 Technique: Original Hand Signed and Numbered Lithograph on ...
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1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Alberto Giacometti - Original Lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Alberto Giacometti - Original Lithograph 1964 Dimensions: 38 x 28 cm From the journal Derrière le Miroir No. 148, 1964 Edition: Foundation Maeght at Saint Paul Alberto Giacometti...
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1960s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Charcoal Stove - Original Etching, 1956
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Paris, IDF
Alberto GIACOMETTI The Charcoal Stove, 1956 Original etching On Arches vellum 38.5 x 28 cm (c. 15 x 11 inches) In very good condition
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1950s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

Derrière Le Miroir - Lithograph by Alberto Giacometti - 1961
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Roma, IT
Derriere Le Miroir is a suite of original lithographs realized by Alberto Giacometti in 1961. The artwork is an interesting edition of the French art periodical “Derriere Le Miroir”...
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1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Histoire de rats (Diane Bataille VII), Etching by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Long Island City, NY
Alberto Giacometti, Swiss (1901 - 1966) - Histoire de rats (Diane Bataille VII), Portfolio: Georges Bataille. Histoire de rats, Year: 1947 (Printed 1995), Medium: Etching on Arches,...
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1940s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

Alberto Giacometti Figura
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Alberto Giacometti Title: Figura Portfolio: Derriere le Miroir 148 Medium: Lithograph Year: 1964 Edition: Unknown Sheet Size: 13" x 9" Signature: Unsigned
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1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Paris sans fin
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in London, GB
First edition, from the edition of 250 copies on Vélin d’Arches from a total edition of 270; large 4to (42.2 x 32 cm); artist’s signature stamp to limitation page, 150 lithographs after Giacometti, loose as issued in publisher's printed wrappers, glassine wrappers, cloth chemise and slipcase. Giacometti’s testament to art and modern life in his beloved Paris. For Tériade it would be a milestone, the last great publication he would see through the press. The two men [Tériade and Giacometti] had maintained a close friendship ever since the Surrealist Years. The one hundred and fifty lithographs are a profoundly interpenetrating view of Giacometti's experience of Paris. He selected the plates to be printed and determined the order of their relationship, numbering each one. The frontispiece shows a nude figure of a woman plunging forward, as though diving into space, and is immediately followed by a quantity of views of city streets, then of interiors familiar to the artist. We come upon views of his studio, of the cafes he frequented, of Annette's apartment in the rue Mazarine and Caroline's in the Avenue du Maine, strangers at cafe tables, passers by, parked automobiles, the towers of Saint-Suplice, bridges across the Seine, The Eiffel Tower. To accompany the hundred and fifty plates, a text of twenty pages was planned, but the artist never got further than a few rough drafts. True, he was a devotee of words, Paris sans fin, however, said too much to the eye to be in need of other symbols (James Lord...
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1960s Art Nouveau Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Ex Libris Edmond Bomsel, Etching by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Long Island City, NY
Alberto Giacometti, Swiss (1901 - 1966) - Ex Libris Edmond Bomsel, Year: 1961, Medium: Etching on Japon, signed 'AM' in the plate, Size: 4.5 x 3.5 in. (11.43 x 8.89 cm), Provenance:...
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1960s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

Histoire de rats (Diane Bataille II), Etching by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Long Island City, NY
Alberto Giacometti, Swiss (1901 - 1966) - Histoire de rats (Diane Bataille II), Year: 1947 (Printed 1995), Medium: Etching on Arches, Image Size: 5.5 x 3.5 inches, Size: 8 x 6.5 in....
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1940s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

Histoire de rats (Alexandre Kojève), Etching by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Long Island City, NY
Alberto Giacometti, Swiss (1901 - 1966) - Histoire de rats (Alexandre Kojeve), Year: 1947 (Printed 1995), Medium: Etching on Arches, Image Size: 5.5 x 3.5 inches, Size: 8 x 6.5 in. ...
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1940s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

Portrait of Iliazd
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Signed by the artist lower right, from Les Douze Portraits du célèbre Orbandale
Category

20th Century Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

Alberto Giacometti art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Alberto Giacometti art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Alberto Giacometti in lithograph, etching, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Alberto Giacometti art, so small editions measuring 4 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of John Baldessari, Fernandez Arman, and Ger Doornink. Alberto Giacometti art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $100 and tops out at $70,894, while the average work can sell for $5,000.

Artists Similar to Alberto Giacometti

Questions About Alberto Giacometti Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 21, 2024
    In his artwork, Alberto Giacometti tried to capture the energy of his figures as well as his own memories, emotional state and view of the world. He is revered for the elongated, slender human figures he created in the years following World War II that reflected existentialism and the trauma associated with the conflict. The very tall and thin figurines depicted in works like L’Homme au doigt, Standing Woman and The Chariot came to be associated with frailty and loneliness. On 1stDibs, shop an assortment of Alberto Giacometti art.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Alberto Giacometti made hundreds of sculptures out of a variety of materials. Some of his most frequently used ones were plaster, wood and terracotta, but he is perhaps best known for his bronze sculptures. On 1stDibs, find a collection of Alberto Giacometti art.
  • 1stDibs ExpertOctober 24, 2024
    What sculpture is worth the most will vary over time as pieces continue to come up for auction and break existing records. Some of the most expensive sculptures ever sold at auction include Alberto Giacometti pieces. His L'Homme au doigt fetched $141.3 million at auction, while his L'Homme qui marche I and The Chariot sold for $104.3 and $101.1 million, respectively. Explore a large selection of sculptures on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 27, 2024
    What materials Giacometti used varied. Alberto Giacometti was a painter, printmaker and furniture designer, but he is best known as one of the 20th century’s most important sculptors. When creating his sculptures, he typically used clay or plaster and worked with his hands to form and shape figures. His finished works were then typically cast in bronze. On 1stDibs, explore a selection of Alberto Giacometti art from some of the world's top galleries and dealers.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Alberto Giacometti is most famous for his sculptures depicting human figures in an iconic tall, thin style. Influenced by Surrealism and Cubism, his style also sought to invoke a sense of distance in the viewer. On 1stDibs, find an array of beautiful Alberto Giacometti pieces from some of the top sellers around the world.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Alberto Giacometti is a Swiss sculptor, painter and printmaker, working mainly in Paris. His work was influenced by the cubism, surrealist and expressionist movements. Shop a selection of Alberto Giacometti pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertAugust 26, 2024
    Giacometti was a Surrealist in the sense that, during the early 1930s, his work reflected his psychological state. Art historians refer to this period in the Italian sculptor's career as his Surrealist period. Some works made during this time include Suspended Ball, The Palace at 4 a.m., Woman With Her Throat Cut and L'Objet Invisible. Find a collection of Alberto Giacometti art on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Alberto Giacometti worked with clay or plaster to form and shape his sculptures. Once they were completed, many of them were cast in bronze. He enjoyed experimenting with different styles, materials and approaches. While you’ll find a lot of bronze sculptures, there are other works of art that include plaster, clay and paint in his collections. Shop a selection of Alberto Giacometti pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMay 3, 2024
    For his drawings, Alberto Giacometti typically used pencil and paper as his materials. Less frequently, he drew with ink pens and charcoal. Although he is best known for his sculptures, the Italian artist was a prolific sketcher. In 1963, he published a collection of his drawings in a book called 45 Drawings. Explore a range of Alberto Giacometti art on 1stDibs.

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