Nearly everyone has had, at least once in their life, the opportunity to see the work of one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century, Alberto Giacometti (1901 – 1966, Switzerland). And yet, for those who had not had the pleasure of encountering Giacometti’s creations in real life and happen to be in Milan in the upcoming weeks, GAM – Modern Art Gallery in Milan hosts an important exhibition of his work, curated by Catherine Grenier, director and chief curator of Foundation Alberto and Annette Giacometti in Paris. The exhibition was drawn from the collection of the Foundation devoted to the Swiss master, collecting more than sixty amazing masterpieces of the likes of Boule suspendue, Femme qui marche, La cage, Quatre femmes sur socle, Buste d’Annette and the imposing Grande femme.
The selection of works spans from sculpture, painting and drawing conceived and created between the 20s and the 60s, showing the artist’s path and influences, from the very beginning of his career: his studies in Switzerland, the encounter with Surrealists and research on the unconscious and imagination, along with reflections on the surrounding space and its boundaries, that result in Giacometti’s characteristic lengthened silhouettes. Giacometti’s distinctive walking figures are thin and apparently fragile (even if most of them are made of a strong alloys, such as bronze) and reflect perturbation and loneliness, though maintaining a formal grace, linearity and harmony of pure forms. The exhibition – the first of four major shows arranged at GAM for its set up museum devoted to sculpture – is articulated in five sections linked by different themes, accompanied by archival pictures, sketches and documents to help viewers contextualize the career of a genius beloved by masters of his time, from Sartre to Beckett and Genet.
The exhibition will run through February 1st 2015 at GAM in Milan.
