Alberto GIACOMETTI (1901-1966)
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Top 10 Sculpture Bust Giacometti 1947-53 The Man The Woman Femme debout
Chronology : 20th century 1940-1949 1947 1950-1959 1952 1954 1955 1960-1969 1960 1961 1965
See also : Top 10 Sculpture Bust Giacometti 1947-53 The Man The Woman Femme debout
Chronology : 20th century 1940-1949 1947 1950-1959 1952 1954 1955 1960-1969 1960 1961 1965
1947 L'Homme au Doigt
2015 SOLD for $ 140M by Christie's
After the war Alberto Giacometti reinstalled himself in his Parisian studio which had been carefully maintained by Diego. His life is stabilized by his meeting with Annette. He wants to exhibit through his sculptures his own view about the human nature, close to Sartre's existentialism.
Alberto appreciates that some new art is required and that his diminutive sculptures will not appeal anybody. His characters will now be life-size. They will be threadlike as the floor lamps that the artist formerly conceived for Jean-Michel Frank, fragile in their bodies and solid in their bronze. These humans are not identifiable but the original plaster tirelessly kneaded by the artist's hand brings them a tormented texture that resembles their creator.
The seminal story of his new creativity takes place immediately after the war, tentatively in 1945. He goes to the cinema in Montparnasse. On the boulevard, he sees men walking and women standing. Everyone knows the reason for his or her immediate action, which is not accessible to others. A crowd is a gathering of lonely characters. Alberto is no longer inspired by cinema, which is nothing more than a projection of light on a screen. He decides that his art will be closer to real life.
Pierre Matisse is interested and promises to organize an exhibition in New York in January 1948 of this art which, in October 1947, does not yet exist. The works must be designed and the bronzes have to be melt. The artist is in a hurry which is not his usual practice. The meeting with the agents of the foundry is scheduled for the next morning. Alberto is not ready.
He is not happy with his prototype and demolishes it. In a night of frenzied creation, he realizes L'Homme au doigt. When it is carried out for the factory, the plaster is achieved but it is still wet. Seven bronzes including an artist's proof are edited by the Alexis Rudier company.
The man points the finger to show the way to the other two sculptures in the trilogy, L'Homme qui marche and his opposite the everlasting Femme debout. This horizontal finger is a sign of authority, hope and renewal. L'Homme au doigt emits the founding message before disappearing from Alberto's creations, unlike the other two figures that will accompany his whole career,
The plaster had been kneaded in a hurry, giving a tormented and scarred texture from which some observers said that L'Homme au doigt is Alberto's self portrait. One bronze, the number 6/6, was hand-painted by the artist. It strengthens the resemblance. The pointing man is not God between Adam and Eve, he is Alberto, the creative artist.
This number 6/6 178 cm high is the most outstanding piece of bronze by Alberto. It was sold for $ 140M by Christie's on May 11, 2015, lot 29A.
Man is walking with energy but nobody knows why, not even the character. The energy of his step is useful, or not, his compass shaped legs prophesying the imbalance of the future. Woman is waiting and passive. She however must have a role, like the tree in the forest.
Other figures will soon be created as well as groups and busts.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Trivia Encyclopedia @edpearce080759 May 11, 2023
"L'Homme au doigt" (man pointing) a 1947 work by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti was auctioned for $141.3m at Christie's in New York City on May 11, 2015, setting the record for most expensive sculpture sold at an auction. https://encyclopaediaoftrivia.blogspot.com/2017/11/sculpture.html…
Alberto appreciates that some new art is required and that his diminutive sculptures will not appeal anybody. His characters will now be life-size. They will be threadlike as the floor lamps that the artist formerly conceived for Jean-Michel Frank, fragile in their bodies and solid in their bronze. These humans are not identifiable but the original plaster tirelessly kneaded by the artist's hand brings them a tormented texture that resembles their creator.
The seminal story of his new creativity takes place immediately after the war, tentatively in 1945. He goes to the cinema in Montparnasse. On the boulevard, he sees men walking and women standing. Everyone knows the reason for his or her immediate action, which is not accessible to others. A crowd is a gathering of lonely characters. Alberto is no longer inspired by cinema, which is nothing more than a projection of light on a screen. He decides that his art will be closer to real life.
Pierre Matisse is interested and promises to organize an exhibition in New York in January 1948 of this art which, in October 1947, does not yet exist. The works must be designed and the bronzes have to be melt. The artist is in a hurry which is not his usual practice. The meeting with the agents of the foundry is scheduled for the next morning. Alberto is not ready.
He is not happy with his prototype and demolishes it. In a night of frenzied creation, he realizes L'Homme au doigt. When it is carried out for the factory, the plaster is achieved but it is still wet. Seven bronzes including an artist's proof are edited by the Alexis Rudier company.
The man points the finger to show the way to the other two sculptures in the trilogy, L'Homme qui marche and his opposite the everlasting Femme debout. This horizontal finger is a sign of authority, hope and renewal. L'Homme au doigt emits the founding message before disappearing from Alberto's creations, unlike the other two figures that will accompany his whole career,
The plaster had been kneaded in a hurry, giving a tormented and scarred texture from which some observers said that L'Homme au doigt is Alberto's self portrait. One bronze, the number 6/6, was hand-painted by the artist. It strengthens the resemblance. The pointing man is not God between Adam and Eve, he is Alberto, the creative artist.
This number 6/6 178 cm high is the most outstanding piece of bronze by Alberto. It was sold for $ 140M by Christie's on May 11, 2015, lot 29A.
Man is walking with energy but nobody knows why, not even the character. The energy of his step is useful, or not, his compass shaped legs prophesying the imbalance of the future. Woman is waiting and passive. She however must have a role, like the tree in the forest.
Other figures will soon be created as well as groups and busts.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Trivia Encyclopedia @edpearce080759 May 11, 2023
"L'Homme au doigt" (man pointing) a 1947 work by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti was auctioned for $141.3m at Christie's in New York City on May 11, 2015, setting the record for most expensive sculpture sold at an auction. https://encyclopaediaoftrivia.blogspot.com/2017/11/sculpture.html…
- "L'Homme au doigt," created by Alberto Giacometti in 1947, reflects his unique technique of elongating figures to explore human fragility, with studies showing his sculptures evoke existential themes backed by art historians like Reinhold Hohl in Alberto Giacometti (1971).
- The $141.3 million sale in 2015 at Christie's broke records, surpassing Giacometti's prior high of $103.4 million for "Walking Man I" in 2010, highlighting a surge in demand for modern art fueled by wealthy collectors, with global art auction sales reaching $26 billion that year per TEFAF's Art Market Report.
- The anonymous buyer's possible Asian origin aligns with a trend of Asian collectors dominating high-value art purchases, as evidenced by a 2023 Art Basel report noting 29% of global auction sales now come from Asia, challenging Western art market dominance.
1951-1952 Le Chariot
2014 SOLD for $ 101M by Sotheby's
Alberto Giacometti had been close to the Surrealists. The theme of the woman on the chariot was inscribed in his mind from 1938. It remained therein for twelve years during which the artist tried a few tests, sometimes with rotating wheels.
In 1948, Alberto populates his universe with his wire-like characters who question the existentialism. Men walk with energy without knowing where they are going. In contrast, women are straight and motionless.
The woman is still an ancient idol whose authority may not be challenged. She brings peace and truth. In Alberto's dream, she is perched on a pedestal placed on the axle of an antique chariot with very high wheels. This is the great paradox of Giacometti: the motionless woman symbolizes the movement because she is worshiped on the chariot.
Alberto is a perfectionist. He waits until 1950 to execute his fantasy. Any detail is important, such as the tightly attached legs. The arms are away from the body in a gesture of glory or freedom, but the angle of the elbows disappears when the sculpture is viewed from front. The work is of medium size, 1.45 m high, because it must not be intimidating or diminutive.
The bronze cast in 1951-1952 is a technical feat by Alexis Rudier company. The number 2/6 was sold for $ 101M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2014, lot 25. This is an exceptional specimen by its golden patina that glorifies the subject and also because it has been carefully painted by the artist. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Bernadette Keefe @nxtstop1 Nov 9, 2014
Replying to @GTCost
“@GTCost: RT @BloombergNews: Giacometti’s “Chariot” sells 4 $101M -record Sotheby's art sale: http://bloom.bg/1zwyg9C
In 1948, Alberto populates his universe with his wire-like characters who question the existentialism. Men walk with energy without knowing where they are going. In contrast, women are straight and motionless.
The woman is still an ancient idol whose authority may not be challenged. She brings peace and truth. In Alberto's dream, she is perched on a pedestal placed on the axle of an antique chariot with very high wheels. This is the great paradox of Giacometti: the motionless woman symbolizes the movement because she is worshiped on the chariot.
Alberto is a perfectionist. He waits until 1950 to execute his fantasy. Any detail is important, such as the tightly attached legs. The arms are away from the body in a gesture of glory or freedom, but the angle of the elbows disappears when the sculpture is viewed from front. The work is of medium size, 1.45 m high, because it must not be intimidating or diminutive.
The bronze cast in 1951-1952 is a technical feat by Alexis Rudier company. The number 2/6 was sold for $ 101M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2014, lot 25. This is an exceptional specimen by its golden patina that glorifies the subject and also because it has been carefully painted by the artist. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Bernadette Keefe @nxtstop1 Nov 9, 2014
Replying to @GTCost
“@GTCost: RT @BloombergNews: Giacometti’s “Chariot” sells 4 $101M -record Sotheby's art sale: http://bloom.bg/1zwyg9C
- The image depicts "The Chariot" by Alberto Giacometti, a 1950 bronze sculpture sold for $101 million at Sotheby's in 2014, reflecting the artwork's rarity and the booming postwar art market, which saw prices soar due to wealthy collectors and institutional buyers, as noted in a 2014 Artnet study on auction trends.
- Giacometti’s minimalist style, influenced by existentialism post-World War II, uses elongated figures and abstract forms to explore human fragility, a theme resonant with the era’s trauma, supported by art historian Reinhold Hohl’s analysis in his 1994 book "Giacometti: A Biography."
- The record-breaking sale occurred amid a global art market peak, later contrasted by a 2025 Bloomberg report on a sluggish market due to economic uncertainty and tariffs, highlighting the cyclical nature of art investment.
1951-1952 Trois Hommes qui marchent
2022 SOLD for $ 30M by Sotheby's
The story told by Giacometti takes place immediately after the war, tentatively in 1945. He goes to the cinema in Montparnasse. On the boulevard, he sees men walking and women standing. Everyone knows the reason for his or her immediate action, which is not accessible to others. A crowd is a gathering of lonely characters. Alberto is no longer inspired by cinema, which is nothing more than a projection of light on a screen. He decides that his art will be closer to real life.
He creates his world in 1947 with characters as threadlike as the barrels of the lamps which he produced before the war for Frank. His seminal trinity includes the man with the finger who will never reappear, like the Godot of his friend Beckett.
From 1948 he tries some variations of attitude such as L'Homme qui marche sous la pluie or L'Homme qui chavire. They are as ephemeral as L'Homme au doigt, because they do not deal with the mystery of the solitude of the individual in the group.
In 1948 he positions together on a tray several copies of his walking man, like a child playing with toy soldiers. The Trois Hommes qui marchent are produced in two versions, identified I and II (grand plateau and petit plateau respectively). The three characters approach or move away from each other. Compared with the petit plateau, the grand plateau provides the illusion of an open and non claustrophobic scenery.
Beside Trois hommes qui marchent, La Place, featuring four walking men and a standing woman, is also prepared in two versions. The movements in La Place cease to be incoherent : a group is being formed. These four works provide the most genuine response to the artist's existentialist quest. In 1950 his creativity will be more fanciful, with the grouping of characters of various scales.
The bronzes of such difficult figures with several thin characters were feats by the Alexis Rudier foundry.
Trois Hommes qui marchent I, 72 cm high, was edited in six copies starting in 1950. The number 2/6, made in 1950 with a dark brown patina, was sold for £ 9.4M by Sotheby's on June 25, 2008 and for £ 11.3M by Christie's on February 5, 2020, lot 14.
The 4/6, cast in 1950 with a brown and gold patina, was sold for $ 11.5M by Christie's on November 6, 2008, lot 21.
The bronze 5/6 of Trois hommes qui marchent (grand plateau), 72 cm high, was cast in 1951. Damaged in October 1951 during its custom clearance in the USA. It was sent back to Giacometti who had it recast and hand painted it in 1952 in various tones as specified by its new owner David M. Solinger.
It was sold for $ 30M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Sotheby's on November 14, 2022, lot 8 in the auction of the Solinger collection. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
A bronze cast in 1948 of Trois Hommes qui marchent II, 76 cm high, was sold for £ 10.7M by Sotheby's on June 22, 2011.
He creates his world in 1947 with characters as threadlike as the barrels of the lamps which he produced before the war for Frank. His seminal trinity includes the man with the finger who will never reappear, like the Godot of his friend Beckett.
From 1948 he tries some variations of attitude such as L'Homme qui marche sous la pluie or L'Homme qui chavire. They are as ephemeral as L'Homme au doigt, because they do not deal with the mystery of the solitude of the individual in the group.
In 1948 he positions together on a tray several copies of his walking man, like a child playing with toy soldiers. The Trois Hommes qui marchent are produced in two versions, identified I and II (grand plateau and petit plateau respectively). The three characters approach or move away from each other. Compared with the petit plateau, the grand plateau provides the illusion of an open and non claustrophobic scenery.
Beside Trois hommes qui marchent, La Place, featuring four walking men and a standing woman, is also prepared in two versions. The movements in La Place cease to be incoherent : a group is being formed. These four works provide the most genuine response to the artist's existentialist quest. In 1950 his creativity will be more fanciful, with the grouping of characters of various scales.
The bronzes of such difficult figures with several thin characters were feats by the Alexis Rudier foundry.
Trois Hommes qui marchent I, 72 cm high, was edited in six copies starting in 1950. The number 2/6, made in 1950 with a dark brown patina, was sold for £ 9.4M by Sotheby's on June 25, 2008 and for £ 11.3M by Christie's on February 5, 2020, lot 14.
The 4/6, cast in 1950 with a brown and gold patina, was sold for $ 11.5M by Christie's on November 6, 2008, lot 21.
The bronze 5/6 of Trois hommes qui marchent (grand plateau), 72 cm high, was cast in 1951. Damaged in October 1951 during its custom clearance in the USA. It was sent back to Giacometti who had it recast and hand painted it in 1952 in various tones as specified by its new owner David M. Solinger.
It was sold for $ 30M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Sotheby's on November 14, 2022, lot 8 in the auction of the Solinger collection. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
A bronze cast in 1948 of Trois Hommes qui marchent II, 76 cm high, was sold for £ 10.7M by Sotheby's on June 22, 2011.
1954 Portrait of Diego (painting)
2013 SOLD for $ 32.6M by Christie's
The Giacometti brothers were inseparable, before the war, when they worked together for the decorator Jean-Michel Frank. Later, while Diego continues his career in furniture items, Alberto endeavors to express the mystery of man.
From that time the art of Alberto is double: he reached fame as a sculptor, but his paintings and drawings are similarly important to understand his creative act.
The drawing, in general, is an expression of spontaneity by the line. The paintings of Alberto are lines in oil on canvas, relentlessly modified with a range of brushes until he achieves the desired effect, usually in monochrome with a neutral background.
Now Alberto is a portraitist. Same as in his sculptures, he sees the head as the juxtaposition of organs, without giving an importance to the overall shape or even to the proportions. He explores one of the greatest mysteries: all men are similar, but each individual is recognizable.
Same as Francis Bacon later, Alberto can only work with people around him whom he perfectly knows. A portrait of Diego painted in 1954, 81 x 65 cm, was sold for $ 32.6M by Christie's on November 5, 2013.
In this painting, the work of the line is intense and meticulous, just like Alberto was still exploring the features of his own graphic style. He also allows the use of color by adding some red to the Scottish shirt of his brother.
From that time the art of Alberto is double: he reached fame as a sculptor, but his paintings and drawings are similarly important to understand his creative act.
The drawing, in general, is an expression of spontaneity by the line. The paintings of Alberto are lines in oil on canvas, relentlessly modified with a range of brushes until he achieves the desired effect, usually in monochrome with a neutral background.
Now Alberto is a portraitist. Same as in his sculptures, he sees the head as the juxtaposition of organs, without giving an importance to the overall shape or even to the proportions. He explores one of the greatest mysteries: all men are similar, but each individual is recognizable.
Same as Francis Bacon later, Alberto can only work with people around him whom he perfectly knows. A portrait of Diego painted in 1954, 81 x 65 cm, was sold for $ 32.6M by Christie's on November 5, 2013.
In this painting, the work of the line is intense and meticulous, just like Alberto was still exploring the features of his own graphic style. He also allows the use of color by adding some red to the Scottish shirt of his brother.
1955 Grande Tête Mince
Intro
The head and the bust, portrait or imaginary, with or without a base, is a major theme in the sculpture of Alberto Giacometti. Inspired by his threadlike characters, he begins to reduce the width of the heads.
Starting in 1953 Alberto refocuses on the portraits of his family and friends his sculpted and painted art. He used to say that he did not make a difference between sculpture and drawing. He then takes as model only his family and close friends, especially his brother Diego younger than himself by only thirteen months. People outside his narrow circle would probably hardly support to be so scrutinized by this artist in search of a new ideal.
At the same time Alberto rediscovers his fascination for the famous bust of Nefertiti, breaking with the tradition of classical sculpture which had been a way to offer to the viewer a realistic three-dimensional vision of the selected theme.
The graphic art of ancient Egypt used a flat profile figuration by which the two sides of the head cannot be seen simultaneously. A bust of Diego on a base, 38 cm high overall, executed in 1954, is subtitled Amenophis. The head is a blade. On each side Alberto kneaded an Egyptian portrait of his brother. A bronze was sold by Sotheby's for £ 3.4M on June 24, 2009.
Dated 1953 and cast by Susse in six copies in 1954, a figure 33.5 cm high titled Buste or Tête tranchante is typical of the knife blade heads of Diego, with a heavily worked surface in the signature style of the artist.
The 1/6 was sold for $ 13.3M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2024, lot 117, to benefit the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house.
At 65 cm high overall, Grande Tête de Diego will remain until 1960 the largest bust created by Alberto. Like Amenophis, it was designed in 1954 and edited in bronze by Susse in 1955. The head is again limited to a blade but the view of each profile is as realistic as a drawing, with the frank gaze and the mouth opened for speaking.
That Grande Tête Mince is the most daring of all compositions by Alberto. Since the two sides of the face are not seen simultaneously, they can be dissimilar with the exception of the open mouth. Indeed the portrait of Nefertiti has no pupil in the left eye, probably from its conception. Alberto's face is more wrinkled than Diego's. The left side is undoubtedly a portrait of Diego. The right side, kneaded in clay with deeper relief, could be a self-portrait of Alberto.
The two brothers had a strong physical resemblance and there is no doubt that Alberto sought also to reach the truth about himself. He voluntarily maintained this ambiguity in an exhibition in 1962 when he chose to name this sculpture Grande tête mince rather than Grande tête de Diego.
Starting in 1953 Alberto refocuses on the portraits of his family and friends his sculpted and painted art. He used to say that he did not make a difference between sculpture and drawing. He then takes as model only his family and close friends, especially his brother Diego younger than himself by only thirteen months. People outside his narrow circle would probably hardly support to be so scrutinized by this artist in search of a new ideal.
At the same time Alberto rediscovers his fascination for the famous bust of Nefertiti, breaking with the tradition of classical sculpture which had been a way to offer to the viewer a realistic three-dimensional vision of the selected theme.
The graphic art of ancient Egypt used a flat profile figuration by which the two sides of the head cannot be seen simultaneously. A bust of Diego on a base, 38 cm high overall, executed in 1954, is subtitled Amenophis. The head is a blade. On each side Alberto kneaded an Egyptian portrait of his brother. A bronze was sold by Sotheby's for £ 3.4M on June 24, 2009.
Dated 1953 and cast by Susse in six copies in 1954, a figure 33.5 cm high titled Buste or Tête tranchante is typical of the knife blade heads of Diego, with a heavily worked surface in the signature style of the artist.
The 1/6 was sold for $ 13.3M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2024, lot 117, to benefit the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house.
At 65 cm high overall, Grande Tête de Diego will remain until 1960 the largest bust created by Alberto. Like Amenophis, it was designed in 1954 and edited in bronze by Susse in 1955. The head is again limited to a blade but the view of each profile is as realistic as a drawing, with the frank gaze and the mouth opened for speaking.
That Grande Tête Mince is the most daring of all compositions by Alberto. Since the two sides of the face are not seen simultaneously, they can be dissimilar with the exception of the open mouth. Indeed the portrait of Nefertiti has no pupil in the left eye, probably from its conception. Alberto's face is more wrinkled than Diego's. The left side is undoubtedly a portrait of Diego. The right side, kneaded in clay with deeper relief, could be a self-portrait of Alberto.
The two brothers had a strong physical resemblance and there is no doubt that Alberto sought also to reach the truth about himself. He voluntarily maintained this ambiguity in an exhibition in 1962 when he chose to name this sculpture Grande tête mince rather than Grande tête de Diego.
A lifelong perfectionist, Alberto Giacometti had a vision for a global art mingling sculpture, drawing and color. Fascinated by antique Egypt, he had in mind the successful colors of the Fayum portraits. A mere patina could not match that desire.
The scarce bronzes hand painted by himself are a summit of sculpture art. The only hand painted example of L'Homme au doigt was sold for $ 140M by Christie's in 2015.
The Grande Tête Mince also has a single example hand painted by the artist, in a rich palette of blacks, browns and greys. This unnumbered bronze cast by Susse in 1955 is certainly the missing number 2.
It had been exhibited at the 1956 Venice Biennale and was a highlight at the opening of Fondation Maeght at Saint-Paul de Vence in 1964, in the presence of the artist and of André Malraux, then French ministre de la culture. It passed at Sotheby's on May 13, 2015, lot 17. The colors are remarkably well preserved. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The scarce bronzes hand painted by himself are a summit of sculpture art. The only hand painted example of L'Homme au doigt was sold for $ 140M by Christie's in 2015.
The Grande Tête Mince also has a single example hand painted by the artist, in a rich palette of blacks, browns and greys. This unnumbered bronze cast by Susse in 1955 is certainly the missing number 2.
It had been exhibited at the 1956 Venice Biennale and was a highlight at the opening of Fondation Maeght at Saint-Paul de Vence in 1964, in the presence of the artist and of André Malraux, then French ministre de la culture. It passed at Sotheby's on May 13, 2015, lot 17. The colors are remarkably well preserved. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1
3/6
2010 SOLD for $ 53M by Christie's
The bronze 3/6 of the Grande Tête Mince, with a dark brown patina, was sold for $ 53M by Christie's on May 4, 2010, lot 13.
2
6/6
2013 SOLD for $ 50M by Sotheby's
The bronze 6/6 was sold for $ 50M from a lower estimate of $ 35M by Sotheby's on November 6, 2013, lot 15. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1955 Femme qui marche
2022 SOLD for € 27M by Christie's
The post war masterpieces by Alberto Giacometti have their root in Surrealism. In 1932 he prepares a life size plaster of a headless Femme qui marche, without arms like a sort of fashion mannequin. He then uses it to try some surrealist figures by adding non human artifacts in the place of the missing limbs and head. Breton broke with Alberto in 1935.
That Femme qui marche is in a full nudity. The elongated profile with a leg slightly ahead of the other for walking may be a reminiscence of the antique Egyptian art. The smooth texture does not anticipate the hectic post war kneading. She is altogether a precursor of the femme debout, of the homme qui marche and of the woman on the chariot.
Four bronzes plus one artist's proof of that seminal Femme qui marche (I) 150 cm high were cast in 1955 in an english foundry at the request of a gallery owner in London. The number III/IV, 150 cm high with a dark brown patina, was sold for € 27M by Christie's on June 14, 2022, lot 20 in the sale of the Givenchy collection.
That Femme qui marche is in a full nudity. The elongated profile with a leg slightly ahead of the other for walking may be a reminiscence of the antique Egyptian art. The smooth texture does not anticipate the hectic post war kneading. She is altogether a precursor of the femme debout, of the homme qui marche and of the woman on the chariot.
Four bronzes plus one artist's proof of that seminal Femme qui marche (I) 150 cm high were cast in 1955 in an english foundry at the request of a gallery owner in London. The number III/IV, 150 cm high with a dark brown patina, was sold for € 27M by Christie's on June 14, 2022, lot 20 in the sale of the Givenchy collection.
1960 Femme Leoni
2023 SOLD for $ 28.5M by Sotheby's
An unused plaster surfaced in 1956 in an exhibition in Bern alongside several Femmes de Venise. The woman is standing straight on an inclined plan, her legs and feet together, inspired by antique Egyptian female deities. She is near life size in height.
It is a portrait of Isabel Nicholas prepared in 1947 beside the life size Homme au doigt.
Isabel Nicholas, who became Isabel Rawsthorne by her third marriage in 1954, was an artist. Sexually liberated in the wake of the existentialism, she was the muse and lover of Alberto Giacometti just before and just after the Second World War and contributed to the development of the new artistic style emphasizing the psychological expression for superseding the figurative realism.
This model was edited in 1957 after a rework of the feet by Alberto to improve stability. The first bronze had been commissioned by Peggy Guggenheim for her Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in Venice and supplied to her in November 1957. It was titled Femme Leoni by the artist. This bronze is not numbered.
A bronze numbered 3/6 cast ca 1958 by Susse was sold for $ 26M by Sotheby's on October 28, 2020, lot 112, and for $ 22.3M by Christie's on May 16, 2024, lot 20 B. Its height is 165 cm including the artist's base.
The number 6/6 of the Femme Leoni was cast by Susse in 1960. It is 153 cm high and does not have a base below the inclined plane. It was sold for $ 28.5M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2023, lot 129.
It is a portrait of Isabel Nicholas prepared in 1947 beside the life size Homme au doigt.
Isabel Nicholas, who became Isabel Rawsthorne by her third marriage in 1954, was an artist. Sexually liberated in the wake of the existentialism, she was the muse and lover of Alberto Giacometti just before and just after the Second World War and contributed to the development of the new artistic style emphasizing the psychological expression for superseding the figurative realism.
This model was edited in 1957 after a rework of the feet by Alberto to improve stability. The first bronze had been commissioned by Peggy Guggenheim for her Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in Venice and supplied to her in November 1957. It was titled Femme Leoni by the artist. This bronze is not numbered.
A bronze numbered 3/6 cast ca 1958 by Susse was sold for $ 26M by Sotheby's on October 28, 2020, lot 112, and for $ 22.3M by Christie's on May 16, 2024, lot 20 B. Its height is 165 cm including the artist's base.
The number 6/6 of the Femme Leoni was cast by Susse in 1960. It is 153 cm high and does not have a base below the inclined plane. It was sold for $ 28.5M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2023, lot 129.
1961 L'Homme qui marche
2010 SOLD for £ 65M by Sotheby's
Alberto Giacometti was enthusiastic about the project of decoration of the plaza in front of the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York which was entrusted to him in 1958 and which could be the culmination of his artistic approach whole life. He will install his monumental sculptures according to the design of his Places I and II of 1948 simulating by scattered characters the buzzing activity of the city.
His figures will not be new : the walking man, the standing woman and the big head. Refusing obstinately the solution of a mechanical enlargement, he works to establish new proportions that will allow his statues not to be miniaturized by the 60 floors of the bank nor to seem huge to the passers-by.
Alberto does not yet know New York. After many trials in plaster and bronze, he is discouraged by his own belief of the gigantism of the city and renounces the project in 1960. He does not however scrap everything. Four Grande Femme Debout, two Homme qui marche and one Tête de Diego are preserved. The Homme qui marche I in life size 1.83 m high is hardly higher than the Homme au doigt from 1947 but it remains one of the best symbols of the vision of the humanity by Giacometti.
The walking man is the most emblematic conception by Giacometti. The symmetrical stride is a mark for energy, ambition and desire. The bronze provides an idea of solidity contradicted by the slender lines of the character. He comes from nowhere and goes nowhere. He is alone, as the "foreigner" of Camus.
It was edited in bronze the following year, 1961, by Susse in six numbered copies for trade and four artist's proofs. The serial number 2/6 was sold for £ 65M from a lower estimate of £ 12M by Sotheby's on February 3, 2010. It is illustrated in an article shared by AuctionPublicity.
With her 2.75 m tall, the Grande Femme Debout II is the giant who dominates the whole group of the 1960 project for the New York piaza. The number 1/6 cast by Susse in 1961 was sold for $ 27.5M by Christie's on May 6, 2008, lot 36.
Alberto first visited New York City in October 1965. Suffering from cancer since 1963 he at last appreciated when it was too late how he could have integrated his ultimate work within Manhattan. He conceived an even taller sculpture and put Diego in charge of preparing the big frame but this project was stopped by his own death.
Response by Grok :
Quote
AstrologyNewsNetwork @HoroscopeOfUSA Feb 5
Replying to @HoroscopeOfUSA
February 3, 2010 – The sculpture L'Homme qui marche I by Alberto Giacometti sells in London for £65 million (US$103.7 million), setting a new world record for a work of art sold at auction. #MarsRetrograde https://wikiwand.com/en/L%27Homme_qui_marche_I…
His figures will not be new : the walking man, the standing woman and the big head. Refusing obstinately the solution of a mechanical enlargement, he works to establish new proportions that will allow his statues not to be miniaturized by the 60 floors of the bank nor to seem huge to the passers-by.
Alberto does not yet know New York. After many trials in plaster and bronze, he is discouraged by his own belief of the gigantism of the city and renounces the project in 1960. He does not however scrap everything. Four Grande Femme Debout, two Homme qui marche and one Tête de Diego are preserved. The Homme qui marche I in life size 1.83 m high is hardly higher than the Homme au doigt from 1947 but it remains one of the best symbols of the vision of the humanity by Giacometti.
The walking man is the most emblematic conception by Giacometti. The symmetrical stride is a mark for energy, ambition and desire. The bronze provides an idea of solidity contradicted by the slender lines of the character. He comes from nowhere and goes nowhere. He is alone, as the "foreigner" of Camus.
It was edited in bronze the following year, 1961, by Susse in six numbered copies for trade and four artist's proofs. The serial number 2/6 was sold for £ 65M from a lower estimate of £ 12M by Sotheby's on February 3, 2010. It is illustrated in an article shared by AuctionPublicity.
With her 2.75 m tall, the Grande Femme Debout II is the giant who dominates the whole group of the 1960 project for the New York piaza. The number 1/6 cast by Susse in 1961 was sold for $ 27.5M by Christie's on May 6, 2008, lot 36.
Alberto first visited New York City in October 1965. Suffering from cancer since 1963 he at last appreciated when it was too late how he could have integrated his ultimate work within Manhattan. He conceived an even taller sculpture and put Diego in charge of preparing the big frame but this project was stopped by his own death.
Response by Grok :
Quote
AstrologyNewsNetwork @HoroscopeOfUSA Feb 5
Replying to @HoroscopeOfUSA
February 3, 2010 – The sculpture L'Homme qui marche I by Alberto Giacometti sells in London for £65 million (US$103.7 million), setting a new world record for a work of art sold at auction. #MarsRetrograde https://wikiwand.com/en/L%27Homme_qui_marche_I…
- The post highlights the record-breaking sale of Alberto Giacometti's "L'Homme qui marche I" for $103.7 million on February 3, 2010, reflecting a surge in demand for modern art, with auction prices for top sculptures rising 1,200% from 2002 to 2015 according to a 2016 study by Artnet.
- Giacometti’s work, created during his post-war existential phase, embodies a minimalist human form influenced by his exposure to concentration camp imagery, a perspective supported by art historian Reinhold Hohl’s analysis in his 1994 book "Giacometti: A Biography."
- The #MarsRetrograde tag links this event to astrological claims of slowed progress, though no peer-reviewed studies validate this, suggesting the connection may reflect cultural fascination rather than empirical evidence.
1965 Le Nez
2021 SOLD for $ 78M by Sotheby's
In his post war nightmares and hallucinations, Alberto Giacometti lost the discrimination between the living and the dead. He is a sculptor : in 1947 he manages to immobilize this ambiguity in plasters. Fragmenting the human organs, he conceives Le Nez, La Main and Tête sur tige. Questioning the beyond in the same year, he creates his existentialist trinity led by L'Homme au doigt.
Le Nez is a full head hanging to a rope within a cage, so that it cannot be perceived as a mere bust. The threadlike posts and bars of the cage are similar as those conceived by him is the 1930s for staging Surrealist figures. Such an existentialist expression of human forms in a cage had a decisive influence on Francis Bacon.
The narwhal tooth shaped straight nose extends far beyond the volume of the cage, providing a fake liberty to the encaged figure. The mouth is wide open for a scream. The very first plaster also had a red painted tongue and a spiral red clown wrap around the nose.
There is no doubt that the fragile balance of Le Nez was very difficult to transfer to bronze. That was done in 1965 by Susse in an edition of 6 plus 2 additional proofs. The head is cast from a replica of the 1949 plaster while the cage had been narrowed in the previous year for a more protruding effect of the nose. The cage is 81 cm high. Small roundels under the four posts assure a stability to that fragile piece.
The number 6/6 was sold for $ 78M by Sotheby's on November 15, 2021, lot 14.
Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Nov 16, 2021
#AuctionUpdate: One of the artist’s most iconic sculptures, Alberto Giacometti’s ‘Le Nez’ brings $78.4M.
Le Nez is a full head hanging to a rope within a cage, so that it cannot be perceived as a mere bust. The threadlike posts and bars of the cage are similar as those conceived by him is the 1930s for staging Surrealist figures. Such an existentialist expression of human forms in a cage had a decisive influence on Francis Bacon.
The narwhal tooth shaped straight nose extends far beyond the volume of the cage, providing a fake liberty to the encaged figure. The mouth is wide open for a scream. The very first plaster also had a red painted tongue and a spiral red clown wrap around the nose.
There is no doubt that the fragile balance of Le Nez was very difficult to transfer to bronze. That was done in 1965 by Susse in an edition of 6 plus 2 additional proofs. The head is cast from a replica of the 1949 plaster while the cage had been narrowed in the previous year for a more protruding effect of the nose. The cage is 81 cm high. Small roundels under the four posts assure a stability to that fragile piece.
The number 6/6 was sold for $ 78M by Sotheby's on November 15, 2021, lot 14.
Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Nov 16, 2021
#AuctionUpdate: One of the artist’s most iconic sculptures, Alberto Giacometti’s ‘Le Nez’ brings $78.4M.
- Sotheby's 2021 post announces the $78.4 million hammer price for Alberto Giacometti's 1947 bronze sculpture "Le Nez" (The Nose), a distorted, elongated head exemplifying his post-WWII existential themes, from the high-profile Macklowe Collection divorce sale.
- The buyer, cryptocurrency billionaire Justin Sun of Tron, outbid competitors in a heated auction, underscoring how digital fortunes fuel traditional art markets and Sun's pattern of high-profile acquisitions like Warhol works.
- By 2025, "Le Nez" sparked a public lawsuit when Sun accused entertainment mogul David Geffen of buying it via an unauthorized employee sale, revealing opaque art world dealings and ongoing litigation over ownership.
