Alberto Giacometti

Alberto Giacometti was born October 10, 1901, in Borgonovo, Switzerland, and grew up in the nearby town of Stampa. The son of a successful post-Impressionist painter, Giacometti studied painting and sculpture in Geneva, before moving to Paris in 1922 (Gohlke 2002).
The works of Paul Cézanne and Alexander Archipenko impressed Giacometti. He was also deeply affected by the masterpieces of Giotto and Tintoretto. But Giacometti’s early works, however, reflected the influence of African, Oceanic art and Cubism (Bonnefoy 1991).
During the 1930s, Giacometti came into contact with the Paris avant-garde and became a distinguished figure in the Surrealist group. His first solo exhibition in 1932 at Galerie Pierre Colle, confirmed this position as Surrealism’s most important sculptor. During this time, many of his works have a nightmarish quali...