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.
Lampadaire Modèle "Figure"
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in PARIS, FR
• Created in the mid-1930s, the Figure floor lamp reflects Alberto Giacometti’s early exploration of the relationship between sculpture and functional design, at a moment when he was...
Bronze
Lampadaire Etoile
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in PARIS, FR
• Designed by Alberto Giacometti in the mid-1930s, during his early work in decorative arts and interior design • The Lampadaire Étoile was designed by Alberto Giacometti in the mid...
Bronze
$5,500
H 26.5 in W 16 in
Morris Brose "Bronze Bull" Figurative Sculptural Abstract
Located in Detroit, MI
"Bronze Bull" is an exquisite example of Morris Brose's abstract/figurative sculpture. No soft edges on this piece and no invitation to caress, the power, strength and beauty of the bronze are front and center and create awe. "Bronze Bull" is a free-standing piece signed on the base. Morris Brose, Polish/American was born in Wyszkow, Poland. He became a sculptor and instructor of sculpture at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Wayne State University and Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Cranbrook was designed by architect and faculty member, Eliel Saarinen who collaborated with Charles and Ray Eames on chair and furniture design. Numerous creative artists who are alumni of Cranbrook include: Harry Bertoia, Florence Knoll, Jack Lenor Larsen, Donald Lipski...
Bronze
$2,350
H 7.5 in W 11.5 in D 7 in
"Owl" Bronze Sculpture, Caricature, Rich Dark Brown Surface
Located in Detroit, MI
The bronze sculpture "Owl" is an exaggerated rendition of an owl that emphasizes the bird's most prominant characteristics - a big fluffy round body and large unblinking eyes making it a charicature of the bird. It is very touchable and calls for one to pet its rounded back. Tom Brun, the sculptor and zookeeper, is well-known for his wood, stone, marble, ceramics and ivory sculptures. One of them, a large hippopotamus, carved from walnut wood travelled the world in the State Department collection. It is said that Tom would often go into a house and pick up one of his sculptures and say that it was unfriendly – meaning that it had not been handled enough. Morley Driver has said of Brun in a newspaper article from the 1950’s “In Any Animal He Sees Beauty”: No one who has ever seen a Tom Brun hippopotamus will ever again think of it as ugly or ungainly, meaning that the artist not only gives you beauty but teaches you to see it. Tom has said: “Small pieces are like a proverb – a gem of meaning that one can dissect.” They are meant to be picked up, caressed and held. This owl, too, seems destined to be caressed. Brun was born in England in 1913. A few years after the end of World War I his father moved the family in 1919 to Detroit, Michigan. In 1935 at age 23, he officially became a U.S. citizen. He served in the army during World War II for five years and upon discharge and at the age of 36 took advantage of the GI Bill and applied for admission to Society of Arts and Crafts (now known as the College for Creative Studies) where he was gladly accepted. While at Arts and Crafts his instructors and established artists such as Sarkis Sarkisian, John P. Foster, Morris Brose, Richard Koslow, Patricia Burnett, Lloyd and Renee Radell...
Bronze
$4,500
H 23 in W 13 in D 7 in
Horse and Rider, Cubist Bronze Sculpture by Pearl Amsel
By Pearl Amsel
Located in Long Island City, NY
Modern Cubist sculpture by Pearl Amstel of a Horse and Rider. Artist: Pearl Amsel (1931 - ) Title: Untitled - Horse and Rider Year: 1974 Me...
Bronze
Birthday
Located in Atlanta, GA
Born in Troyes, France and raised in New York, his interest in art dates from pre-grammar school. After moving to Miami, he studied art at the University of Miami, Florida State University, and in several European countries. By 1970, he was working full-time as a metal sculptor. Even though he is familiar with current trends and techniques in art, he prefers to be an outsider artist, and has developed a style that is very much his own. Publications that have featured his work include: Holiday...
Bronze
Martyre (petit modèle)
By Auguste Rodin
Located in London, GB
Auguste Rodin Martyre (petit modèle), ca. 1899 Incised with artist's signature & numbered 'A. Rodin N. 8' on the head Inscribed & dated Georges Rudier Fondeur Paris. © By musée Rodin...
Bronze
$5,200
H 25 in W 4 in D 4 in
"Draped Figure" Sassafras & Bronze, Figurative Sculpture, 1982
Located in Detroit, MI
"Draped Figure" is a beautiful example of Tazian's ability to meld the smooth texture of wood and the hard texture of bronze into an exquisite object to view, hold or caress. The piece balances perfectly on its stone base and can be easily turned to enjoy from all angles. Like architects Eliel Saarinan and Albert Kahn and sculptor Corrado Parducci, Tazian is an immigrant creative who has found a home in the city, nurtured by its energy and sheltered by its community. He developed an early ambition to become an artist, even though he had very little exposure to the arts. ““The only person [who encouraged me] was my 5th grade English teacher, Olivia Balian,” he says. “She really opened the doors of art for me. She said, ‘Those students who are interested in art can stay behind after school and I will show you how to paint and draw.’ Somehow [that] changed my life– she gave me that spark.” Tazian came to the U.S. to study at St. Francis College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He earned a bachelor’s degree in art and a Master’s in Art Education, and then earned and MFA in sculpture from Wayne State University in Detroit. Kegham Tazian is an award-winning sculptor and painter. The Armenian-born artist has gained notoriety for the diversity of his work and the variety of media exemplified in his pieces. A blend of modernism, realism and abstraction are commonly depicted in his paintings and sculptures. His artwork has been represented in more than 40 solo exhibitions and more than 75 group exhibitions throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. His work adorns the entrances and halls of major corporations, universities and municipalities, including Siemens Corporation, Huntington Bank, Wayne State University and the city halls of Farmington and Farmington Hills...
Stone, Bronze
$10,855
H 4.34 in W 13.39 in D 9.06 in
Pair of Elephants at Play. Patinated Bronze Sculpture.
Located in Cotignac, FR
2 of 2 patinated bronze animal sculptures of a pair of African elephants at play by Dinah Neill, 2022. Dinah Neill trained in fine art and graduated with...
Bronze
$3,000
H 32 in W 7.5 in D 6 in
Pavel Shimes, "Cat and Bird, " Russian bronze sculpture
Located in Chatsworth, CA
Pavel Shimes (Born in Moscow in 1930) Cat and Bird, 1990 Bronze sculpture 100 x 25 x 25 cm Numbered 3/9 from an edition of 9 Signature, edition and year inscribed in base Published ...
Bronze
Aspiration
By Tolla Inbar
Located in Atlanta, GA
Tolla Inbar is an international sculpture artist. Born in Germany in 1958, Tolla attended the Merz school in Stuttgart until 1971. There she specializing in the art of ceramics and s...
Bronze
$3,500
H 18.12 in W 6.3 in D 5.12 in
Vladimir Lemport, The Queen , bronze sculpture
Located in Chatsworth, CA
Vladimir Lemport (Russian artist born in 1922) The Queen, 1990 Bronze Sculpture 46 x 16 x 13 cm Inscribed with artist signature and date and edition size Numbered 2/9 from an edition...
Bronze
Trionfo della Memoria, 2007
By Hugo Rivas
Located in Atlanta, GA
“Making sculpture is a very complex matter. A word added to a form, ultimately helping to better define it. And ultimately helping to understand the whole.” Ugo Riva is probably the...
Bronze, Iron
Trapola per Angeli, 2010
By Hugo Rivas
Located in Atlanta, GA
“Making sculpture is a very complex matter. A word added to a form, ultimately helping to better define it. And ultimately helping to understand the whole.” Ugo Riva is probably the...
Bronze, Iron
Lampadaire à tête de femme
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Greenwich, CT
Bronze wired lamp by Alberto Giacometti Ed. 3/4 Posthumous cast c. 1977-78 Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss artist known for his totemic sculptures of elongated human figures. Giacomet...
Bronze