Giacometti, Alberto

1901-1966

Alberto Giacometti (1901 -1966) is one of the most important artists of the 20th century. He was born in Switzerland in the family of a well-known post-Impressionist painter. Young Alberto studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Geneva and in Italy. He moved to Paris in 1922 and attended Archipenko’s studio and spent 5 years at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière under Bourdelle, a friend of Rodin. He also became an accomplished painter famous for his portraits then. His first solo show was in Galerie Aktuaryus, Zurich, 1927.

In 1930s Giacometti became a leading exponent of Surrealism but disassociated from the movement later. He spent the war years in Geneva in 1941-45 moving back to Paris afterwards where he became prominent with his Existentialist style in sculpture and paintings. Alberto Giacometti was awarded the main prize for sculpture at the Venice Biennale 1962 and the Guggenheim International Award for Painting 1964.