Giacometti

About this book

The isolate and emaciated figures of Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) speak of the extremes of solitude but the artists own social and familial world was populous composed of a greatly and diversely talented family on a par with the Duchamps. Constellating Albertos parents and siblings around his work and world view and basing its thesis upon new research this volume traces the influence of the family upon the art of its most famous member. It shows how Albertos father the painter Giovanni Giacometti encouraged his son from an early age and how his brothers assisted him in his art: Diego was his assistant and model and after Albertos death he became famous for his bronze furniture which is now widely collected and often exhibited; he was responsible for the casting (and sometimes the armature) of Albertos plaster and clay sculptures and was reputedly so attuned to his brothers work that he could recall the furrows and ridges of Albertos figures when they were brought to him for restoration in later years. Bruno the youngest brother is among Switzerlands most renowned architects (he designed the Swiss pavilion at the 1952 Venice Biennale); and Albertos mother and wife and Silvio the son of his sister Ottilia were all indispensable models. Through the lens of this book Giacometti is revealed as an artist deeply informed and very much supported by his family.