Illuminating the Everyday | The Art of the Object

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Alberto Giacometti is one of those rare figures in the history of art that transcended being just an artist. Giacometti possessed an almost precocious creative talent, and throughout his career, he drew on the influence of cubism, surrealism, and ancient European and African art. He also mused on many philosophical topics and ideas, questioning the human condition and debating the existential. His many talents included several disciplines beyond sculpture such as painting and printmaking as well as being a proficient draftsman.

^{After Alberto Giacometti for Jean-Michel Frank, 'Tete de Femme' (£8,000-10,000)}

Born in Switzerland in 1901, Alberto was the son of Giovanni Giacometti, a well-known post-impressionist painter. He was the eldest of four children, and his two brothers Diego and Bruno were renowned creatives in their own right. Surrounded by a family of artists, it was obvious Alberto’s life was destined for a similar journey. Ever curious, Giacometti questioned what constituted art throughout his life. Unfortunately, in the context of the mindset of the early 20th century, most critics viewed Giacometti’s objects as largely unimportant. He revealed to French art critic André Parinaud in 1962, "in order to survive I accepted to make utilitarian anonymous objects for a decorator of the period. (...) I had tried as well as possible to make, for example, vases, and I was conscious that to work on a vase as if a sculpture, then there was no difference between what I would call a sculpture, and what was, in fact, an object - a vase!"¹ He approached designing objects with the same precise technical ability and exacting energy as his own artworks.

^{After Alberto Giacometti for Jean-Michel Frank, 'Tete de Femme' (£8,000-10,000)}

Giacometti's involvement with the decorative arts began in the 1930s at the dawn of his repute. He started a collaboration with the internationally acclaimed decorator Jean-Michel Frank, designing beautiful pieces of furniture for the decorator’s signature interiors, characterised by extreme simplicity of forms and limited colours. Something which reflected the minimalism of his own sculptures. Giacometti's original designs were sought after by the Parisian elite, and together with Frank, they decorated the most prestigious apartments. During his creative partnership with Frank, Giacometti created more than fifty objects, and it was one of his most productive periods. Some of his most notable objects were the Etoile, Osselet, Grande Feuille and Pilastre floor lamps as well as the iconic Tete de Femme.

_{¹https://www.thelondonlist.com/culture/giacometti-decorative-arts}

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