Paris, France — Sculptor, painter, draftsman, writer, Alberto Giacometti moved to Paris in 1922 and lived and worked there while studying under the great sculptor Antoine Bourdelle. He would ultimately become one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th centuury, celebrated for his skinny statues, but he was also a fine landscape painter as well, an aspect of his art works that is being revealed in the exhibition A Tree as a Woman, a Stone as a Head, being played out at the Fondation Giacometti Institut in the heart of the Montparnasse district of Paris where the 20th century artist had his home and studio.

Alberto Giacometti was born in 1901 during the golden age of Swiss painting and into the art circle that brought it about, including his father, the painter Giovanni Giacometti and his godfather Cuno Amiet. A descendant of Italian Protestants, he was born into the rugged and isolated region of the Swiss Alps. From his youngest age Giacometti was surrounded by vibrant art. While he would ultimately choose sculpture as his medium of predilection, Giacometti remained enchanted by the dramatic landscapes of his native land, Switzerland: the Grisons with its poetic Alpine scenery and Val Bregaglia, a stunning Alpine valley with cascading waterfalls. Mountains, forests and lakes surrounded him, opaque lakes, opaque like the granite he worked with.

The show, which is running until September 18th, brings together a host of his colorful landscapes, many of which have never been exhibited before, juxtaposed and in stark contrast to his sculptures. The Institut Giacometti is located in a beautiful building where the exhibition spaces enable the visitor to dialogue with the art works. The Institut is also a center for the study of art history dedicated to modern art techniques. Guided tours of the temporary exhibition and Giacometti’s studio are available in English. Workshops are all on the agenda as well. Reservation are recommended.
©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette
https://www.fondation-giacometti.fr/en
Institut Giacometti
5 rue Victor-Schoelcher
75014 Paris, France
+33 (0)1 44 54 52 44