Giacometti family

October 10, 1901 - January 11, 1966
2016 was the year of remembrance on the 50th anniversary of his death

Alberto Giacometti grew up in Stampa in Bregaglia. Maloja was once the alp of Stampa, where the Giacometti family had their summer home. Maloja still belongs politically to the municipality of Stampa in Bregaglia.

The entire Giacometti family is known as a family of artists. Father Giovanni Giacometti was still described as revolutionary at the turn of the century, but he soon became very well known. His paintings depict a cheerful, unproblematic, Sunday life in Bergell.

Alberto was the eldest son of 4 children, followed by brother Diego, sister Ottilia and the youngest brother Bruno Giacometti,
who made a name for himself as an architect in Zurich.

Brother Diego was AG's right-hand man throughout his life. He produced fittings, made plaster casts, supervised the work in the foundry and patinated the finished sculptures. He also sat for him as a model. Almost all of Alberto's works passed through Diego's hands.
Diego's skill and experience were in demand.

From 1915-1919, Alberto Giacometti attended grammar school in Schiers, but left early to devote himself entirely to art.
At the request of his father Giovanni Giacometti, Alberto moved to Paris with his brother Diego to study there (at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière under Antoine Bourdelle). There he met Pierre Matisse (son of the famous painter Henri Matisse), among others.

Alberto G. lived and worked in Paris for the rest of his life. He was more or less at war with Switzerland. It was not until 1950 that AG was able to hold an exhibition at the Kunsthalle Basel. This was organized together with André Masson, a better-known artist at the time.

1950 was Alberto's most productive period. He worked diligently on a large number of figures. It was also the time when he became famous. From then on he had the opportunity to make or participate in various exhibitions. In 1962 he won first prize at the Venice Biennale.

A very important person in Alberto's life later on was of course his wife Annette. Mrs. Annette was always a faithful companion to him. Unfortunately, she had to settle for very little due to his rude nature and his constant desire for freedom.
It was above all Annette who sought closeness and attachment. Fortunately for A. Giacometti, this gave him support, security and self-confidence, just as he had experienced from his brother Diego.

Alberto Giacometti only had a small circle of friends, as this was very limited due to his rough, direct and honest manner. But Alberto showed uncompromising respect for the individuality of others. And that is why he counted today's famous personalities and artists (such as Miro, Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sartre, etc.) among his friends.

In his (well-known) works you can see his unconditional will to freedom.

Alberto Giacometti saw the destruction of what he had achieved as a prerequisite for progress. He once said: "Because the more you fail - the more you achieve."

Alberto Giacometti stuck to his theme, he destroyed many of his own works that he did not like, he worked on his work until he liked it, and it was only complete when he considered it finished.

He also never changed his models. He always worked with one and the same model over long periods of time: including his brother Diego, his wife Annette and his good friend and philosophy professor Yanaihara. All the models were people who played a major role in his private life.

His style is recognizable in long, thin figures that appear bodiless and weightless. He wants to express the complexity and richness of experience of reality in his works.

Alberto Giacometti never spared himself. This was also the reason why he had to die so early. He had a severe cough / bronchitis, did not take it easy, did not stop smoking, and when he went for a check-up, he was taken to hospital in Chur, where he died.

Alberto Giacometti is buried just a few meters away from his parents in the cemetery in Stampa.

The "Striding Man" is depicted on the 100-franc banknote. In this figure, Giacometti succeeds in realizing a physical movement. For Giacometti, the natural balance of walking symbolizes his own vitality.

"La Place" was the first sculpture to be acquired by a public collection in Switzerland.

"La Place" = places where people walk past each other and do not meet, was also a theme that the artist took up again and again.

Like every other artist, Alberto Giacometti went through various phases of art.

• 1917: Heads
• 1925-35: he worked with marble, wood, metal and plaster. He joined the surrealist movement
• 1935: he returned to reality - to the model.
• 1945-47: he returned to his original art - the heads.