Alberto GIACOMETTI
Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman, and printmaker, celebrated for his distinctive elongated human figures that capture the fragility and isolation of the human condition. Born in Borgonovo, Switzerland, he trained in Geneva and later moved to Paris, where he became associated with Surrealism before developing his mature style.
Giacometti’s sculptures—often thin, attenuated forms—reflect his interest in existential philosophy, particularly themes of presence, distance, and perception. Working primarily in bronze, plaster, and paint, he sought to portray how a person is seen and felt in space rather than as an idealized form.
His works are held in major museums worldwide, including the Tate Modern, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Fondation Giacometti in Paris. Giacometti remains one of the most influential 20th-century artists, bridging modernism and existential thought.
Artist: Alberto Giacometti (Swiss, 1901–1966)
Medium: Lithograph on paper
Edition: Numbered lower left 47/100
Signature: Printed signature of the artist lower right, Alberto Giacometti
Dimensions:
Description:
Lithograph reproducing a seated male figure in Alberto Giacometti’s distinctive, searching line. The subject, rendered with sparse yet deliberate marks, sits in a relaxed but introspective pose, arms loosely resting on his knees. Giacometti’s trademark web of overlapping lines conveys both the structure of the body and the artist’s intense process of observation, imbuing the image with an almost vibrating presence.
The composition leaves the background bare, allowing the figure to emerge in isolation. The head and upper body are drawn with heightened focus, evoking a psychological depth that is characteristic of Giacometti’s portrait work.
Artistic Context:
Giacometti’s lithographs, often based on his original drawings, preserve the immediacy and spontaneity of his hand while making his vision accessible to a wider audience. They reflect his enduring fascination with the human figure as an existential presence, existing between physical form and fleeting perception.
Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966)
Seated Man in Interior
Ink and wash on paper, c. 1950s
Drawing by Alberto Giacometti exemplifying his distinctive draftsmanship, where restless lines and overlapping contours convey both form and psychological presence. The central figure, seated in a frontal pose, is defined through dense linear crosshatching and layered washes of muted tones. Surrounding him, Giacometti sketches elements of a studio interior: sculptures, paintings, and still-life objects that echo the artist’s lifelong exploration of the human figure and its relation to space.
Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966)
Figure Studies
Ink and wash on paper
Drawing exemplifying Alberto Giacometti’s relentless search for the essence of human presence. Combining studies of heads with elongated standing nudes, the composition reveals his characteristic linear draftsmanship—nervous, repetitive strokes that seem to etch the figure into existence. The attenuated bodies anticipate the sculptural forms for which Giacometti is most celebrated, evoking both fragility and permanence. The ink wash adds tonal depth, situating the figures in a spatial field while underscoring their spectral, almost immaterial quality.
