Fondation Giacometti

Giacometti depicts here an interior scene in which two men – two shoe-makers, as indicated by the shoes hanging on the wall on the left – are working around a table. Alberto undoubtedly found examples of that type of composition in the paintings of his father Giovanni, who often painted daily interior scenes at Stampa. In this painting the colour does not entirely cover the cardboard, leaving a small white border along the edges that demarcates the image. This painting was probably made between 1915 and 1917, when Alberto was at school in Schiers, if one considers its resemblance to other drawings from the same period. At that time, cardboard was the support used most by the young artist. That light and rigid support was easier to handle than a stretched canvas placed on an easel. At the back of the cardboard, one recognizes the same figures of those two characters. Though this painting was never exhibited during the artist’s lifetime, he has signed it, which is rare for works that have remained in his possession.

Signed with a paintbrush at the bottom left corner "Alberto Giacometti"

Annette GIACOMETTI
Succession Alberto et Annette Giacometti
Fondation Giacometti