Alberto Giacometti in Louisiana

 

There is an extensive collection of Giacometti sculptures in Louisiana, including a room dedicated to his work.

 

A key player in the Surrealist art movement, Giacometti created sculptures that were as thin as nails. 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'. While the intention of his sculpting was usually imitation, and even though he attempted to create renditions of his models the way he saw them, the end products were an expression of his emotional response to the subject. He once said that he was sculpting not the human figure, but 'the shadow that is cast'.

 

William Barrett argues that the attenuated forms of Giacometti's figures reflect the view of 20th century modernism and existentialism that modern life is increasingly empty and devoid of meaning.

 

 

 



 

Spoon Woman, 1926-27

Walking Woman, 1932-34

Venice Women, 1956

down the steps to

the Giacometti room

Walking Man, 1960

Bust

looking closer

Standing Woman IV, 1960

Forest, 1950