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 functio...
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 design...
Bronze
$4,900
H 21 in W 13 in
1961 Coty Award Plaque Kenneth Hairdresser Jacqueline Onassis Bronze Fashion
Located in New York, NY
1961 Coty Award Plaque Kenneth Hairdresser Jacqueline Onassis Bronze Fashion Bronze on wood. The wood plaque measures 12 3/4" by 20 3/4 inches. The bronze plaque itself is 13 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches and the the bronze inscription, which reads "COTY, American Fashion Critics Special Award 1961 to KENNETH of LILY DACHE...
Bronze
$19,000
H 23 in W 15 in D 13 in
"Untitled" bronze sculpture of seated female figure by artist Felipe Castañeda
By Felipe Castañeda
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Untitled" bronze sculpture of a female nude by artist Felipe Castañeda. Inscribed F. Castañeda 1984 P/A on base.
Bronze
$11,500
H 16.75 in W 5 in
"Industrial Worker" Mid-20th Century Modern Gay Male Realism European Bronze
By Ernst Seger
Located in New York, NY
"Industrial Worker" Mid-20th Century Modern Gay Male Realism European Bronze Ernst Seger (German, 1868-1939) Industrial Worker Bronze Initialed and dated "36" on the verso 16 3/4 x...
Bronze
Large Gilt Bronze Sculptures of Cheetahs
Located in Rome, IT
Fantastic pair of gilt bronze Cheetahs sculptures . The item will be well-suited to either an indoor or outdoor setting.
Bronze
Large Gilt Bronze Sculptures of Herons
Located in Rome, IT
Elegant pair of gilt bronze heron sculptures . The item will be well-suited to either an indoor or outdoor setting.
Bronze
$2,950
H 24.5 in W 17.5 in D 1 in
“Chinoi Plaque #2” Philip & Kelvin LaVerne Etched Bronze & Pewter Wall Plaque
Located in Yardley, PA
In “Chinoi #2,” Philip and Kelvin LaVerne return to their favorite theme of Chinoiserie reverie, rendering a lyrical vignette from acid etched bronze and pewter. A lone boy sits with...
Bronze, Metal
$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
Large Gilt Bronze Sculptures of Herons
Located in Rome, IT
Elegant pair of gilt bronze heron sculptures . The item will be well-suited to either an indoor or outdoor setting.
Bronze
Standing Bather with Ponytail
By Bruno Lucchesi
Located in New York, NY
Bronze sculpture. Incised with the artist's signature, upper part of the base.
Bronze
Walking Man
By Maxine Kim Stussy 1
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Maxine Kim Stussy, a prolific sculptor and painter from the late 1940’s to present. Maxine led an incredibly artistic life traveling the world with h...
Bronze
$68,562
H 55.12 in W 33.86 in D 31.5 in
Egèe Assise, 140 cm, bronze sculpture, signed, limited edition of 8
By Antoniucci Volti
Located in Villafranca Di Verona, IT
Numbered and limited to 8 copies Artwork signed Authenticity: Sold with certificate of Authenticity Invoice from the gallery Sculpture: bronze, metal, bronze patina Display: The sc...
Bronze, Metal
Large Brass Sculptures of Herons
Located in Rome, IT
Elegant pair of brass heron sculptures . The item will be well-suited to either an indoor or outdoor setting.
Bronze
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