Alberto Giacometti

The exhibition dedicated to the swiss artists Alberto Giacometti present more than 50 sculptures, all of which are from the Fondation Giacometti collection, complemented by around 25 works by other major artists such as Rodin, Bourdelle, Maillol, Despiau, Brancusi, Laurens, Lipchitz, Zadkine, Csaky, and Richier. Via a chronological and thematic itinerary, the exhibition highlights Giacometti's relations with these artists at each stage of the development of his style. The itinerary thus shed new light on the little-known pre-war period: the first section of the exhibition is devoted to Giacometti's early works, which still bear the influences of classical modernism (Despiau and Maillol), and then another larger section will be devoted to the discovery of the Parisian avant-garde artists after 1925 (Zadkine, Lipchitz, and Csaky). The lure of abstraction, on the fringe of surrealism, is highlighted via fascinating comparisons (Brancusi and Laurens). The exhibition focusses on the artist's return to figurative work based on the study of models and explore his mature style. There are many thematic comparisons with Rodin, Bourdelle, and Maillol: the motif of the head, the bases of the works, and inspiration from early antiquity. To guide the public, the itinerary is enriched with a selection of graphic arts and archive documents. Echoing Aristide Maillol's studio, which has been recreated within the museum, Giacometti's legendary Parisian studio will also be evoked via an ensemble of the artist's lithographs and photographs taken by some of the greatest twentieth-century photographers, such as Brassaï, Denise Colomb, Sabine Weiss, and Herbert Matter. The exhibition will be open until January 2019.