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.
Expressionist Sculptural Plaster Lamp 'Tête de Femme' by A. Giacometti, France
By Alberto Giacometti, Alberto and Diego Giacometti
Located in North Miami, FL
1940s Expressionist plaster and brass sculptural lamp 'Tête de Femme' designed by Alberto Giacometti, France By: Alberto Giacometti Material: plaster, brass, metal, copper, zinc Tec...
Metal, Brass, Copper, Zinc
$8,500 / set
H 26 in Dm 8.5 in
Custom Pair of French Plaster Lamps in the Manner of Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in New York, NY
Custom pair of plaster lamps in the manner of Alberto Giacometti. The lamp shades are not included. One pair is currently available. Lead Time for custom made is 8-10 weeks. NOTE: W...
Plaster
Painted Plaster "Tête De Femme" Table Lamp After Diego Giacometti
By Diego Giacometti
Located in Montreal, QC
Painted plaster tête de femme table lamp, after Diego Giacometti.
Plaster
$4,779 / set
H 25.99 in Dm 5.52 in
2 Sculptural Art Deco Lamp "Tribute to Alberto Giacometti", Porta Romana, 2000s
By Jean-Michel Frank, Alberto Giacometti, Porta Romana
Located in Lille, FR
Evocative of Alberto Giacometti’s figurative sculptures, the Man and Woman pieces come as an odd pair. Constructed in cast composite (jesmonite) and handpainted, the texture of these...
Resin, Paint
$7,990 / set
H 29 in Dm 11.5 in
Pair French 'Giacometti' Plaster Lamps, by Jacques Grange for Yves Saint Laurent
By Alberto and Diego Giacometti, Jean-Michel Frank, Jacques Grange
Located in New York, NY
A Sublime Pair of French Mid-century Plaster table lamps by Jacques Grange designed for the Yves Saint Laurent Boutiques in France during the 1970s. Grange's inspiration was a model ...
Plaster
Jacques Grange 'Giacometti' YSL Plaster Table Lamps
By Alberto and Diego Giacometti
Located in Sharon, CT
Period pair of plaster and in original white paint, of the iconic Jacques Grange table lamp commissioned by Yves Saint Laurent for the Rive G...
Plaster
"Tete de Femme" Table Lamp, Giacometti style
By Sirmos
Located in North Miami, FL
The Sirmos collection called "Masque" and "Colette" was produced with direct inspiration from the surrealist sculptor, Diego Giacometti, his original design for Jean Michel Frank. El...
Resin, Plaster
$19,870 / item
H 39 in W 33 in D 32 in
French Plaster Chandeliers after a Model by Alberto and Diego Giacometti
By Alberto and Diego Giacometti
Located in New York, NY
Exquisite French plaster chandeliers after a model by Alberto and Diego Giacometti for Jean-Michel Frank conceived in a sculptural organic form, circa 1937. Three Edison sockets light the fixture/pendant. Priced and sold individually. Height is variable according to the length of the supporting chains. Height of plaster fixture alone is 12". 2 pieces are available, Priced and Sold as Individual Pieces. Edition of 8 pieces. #7 of 8 is currently available.The original Giacometti chandelier shown is owned by Thomas Gallery and is not for sale. Literature: Jean-Michel Frank, Leopold Diego Sanchez, Editions du Regard, Paris, 1997, p. 249 Jaques Granges...
Plaster
"Tete de Femme" Floor Lamp Styled After Giacometti
By Diego Giacometti
Located in Bradenton, FL
"Tete de Femme" floor lamp in the manner of the model produced by Alberto Giacometti in the 1930's. This one has the added bonus of not costing $250,000 but is in the style of and no...
Resin
$2,430 / set
H 19.75 in W 6.5 in D 6.5 in
1940s Spanish Gilt-Iron Lamps with Sculptural Giacometti-Style Form
By Alberto and Diego Giacometti
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
A beautifully proportioned pair of 1940s Spanish gilt-iron lamps, their attenuated stems and stacked spherical elements echoing the sculptural language associated with Alberto Giacom...
Brass, Iron
Pair Painted Plaster Table Lamps After Alberto Giacometti, Tete de Femme
By Alberto and Diego Giacometti
Located in Stamford, CT
Pair of painted plaster table lamps after the original by Alberto Giacometti, Tête de Femme, designed circa 1933-1934. A classic design with singular presence. Measures: 32 in high ...
Plaster
$6,000Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 33 in Dm 5.5 in
Giacometti Syrie Maugham Style “Tete de Femme” Plaster Lamps
By Syrie Maugham
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A great pair of plaster after the “Tete de Femme” lamps designed by Giacometti for Syrie Maugham in the 1930’s. These lamps look to be from the 1960’s based on the wiring and electri...
Plaster
$4,000 / set
H 34 in W 18 in D 7 in
Giacometti Form Table Lamps in Bronze Finish by Porta Romana, Pair
By Alberto Giacometti, Porta Romana
Located in Stamford, CT
We’ve always felt a strong affinity for Alberto Giacometti’s signature style, abstracted human forms cast in deep bronze that draw the viewer in for closer inspection. Porta Romana,...
Resin
Sold
H 72.75 in W 18 in D 18 in
Tete de Femme Floor Lamp After Alberto Giacometti--Rockefeller Collection
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Here is a very special gilt bronze floor lamp after Alberto Giacometti (Swiss, 1901-1966). In 1977, Nelson A. Rockefeller founded Nelson Rockefeller Collection, Inc. and had his collection of original works by Diego and Alberto Giacometti cast in bronze and reproduced in small editions by Excalibur Bronze. This example is impressed with the date 1985. The lamp measures 72.75" to the top of the shade. The diameter of the shade, which is the widest part of the lamp, is 18". The bronze foot of the lamp measures approximately 9" in diameter. The lamp itself is in very good condition with only light wear consistent with age and use. The shade appears to be original and needs to be replaced. It is slightly out of round and has a puncture and dents. However, the shade is included if desired by the buyer and could be recovered. Or, we can provide the shade dimensions if a new shade is preferred. We also have a pair of gilt bronze Giacometti table...
Bronze
Sold
H 28 in W 6.5 in D 6.5 in
Sirmos after Diego Giacometti Vintage Plaster Classical Doric Column Lamp
By Alberto Giacometti, Sirmos
Located in Wilton, CT
Vintage Sirmos table lamp in the form of a Doric column after a design by Diego Giacometti for Jean-Michael Frank. Circa 1970's. Double articulated ...
Plaster
Alberto Giacometti "Tete De Femme" Bronze Table Lamp
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Stockton, NJ
Patinated bronze table lamp after Alberto Giacometti. Highest quality casting produced after the 1930s original. Currently wired with two sockets.
Bronze
Pair of Gilded Bronze Floor Lamps by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Dallas, TX
A pair of authorized limited edition reissue floor lamps in gilded solid bronze by Alberto Giacometti from the 1978 Nelson Rockefeller collection...
Alberto Giacometti 'Tete De Femme' Lamp
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Alberto Giacometti 'Tete De Femme' Table Lamp