
Alberto GiacomettiSwiss, 1901–1966May one see it?
New York, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
1932
First solo exhibition
Giacometti’s first solo exhibition took place in 1932, five years after his works were shown at the Salon des Tuileries.
1935
The end of his Surrealist period
In 1935 the artist turned his back on Surrealism and disowned all his works from that period, calling them “a complete dead end” (by other accounts, he was expelled from the group).
1935–1940
A two-week study stretches over five years
Wanting to return to compositions with figures, Giacometti took a model in 1935, expecting to finish in two weeks, but worked with the model all day until 1940. “Nothing was as I imagined,” he recalled; a head became for him an object completely unknown and without dimensions.