Fondation Giacometti

Diego Giacometti was the favourite male model of his brother Alberto, whose studio assistant he was from the mid-1920s. Initially living in Alberto's studio, Diego then moved into a studio adjoining 46 rue Hippolyte-Maindron and, for that reason, he was always available.
This portrait of Diego, dated 1954, excels with its richness of detail and the depth of the work on the pictorial matter. The model is represented in an extremely natural attitude: sitting with crossed legs, one hand placed on his thighs, the other in the pocket of his jacket, head slightly inclined to the right, gaze directed towards the painter. As usual, the work is characterized by a black frame that opens up like a window onto the pictorial space showing the studio.
Through its characterizations, the work perfectly corresponded to Jean-Paul Sartre's existential programme, thus it generated a reflection on emptiness, and the nothingness of consciousness. Talking about this model, Sartre said: “No, Diego is not in relief against the background of a wall: he is there and the wall is there, that's all. Nothing holds, supports, or contains him: he appears all alone within the vast frame of the emptiness. […] there is that stubborn, unjustifiable and superfluous apparition. That painted character is hallucinatory because he takes the form of an interrogative apparition.”
The central position is occupied by the texture of Diego's clothes, meticulously realised, and the result of a complex composition of colours; some fine brush strokes and some thicker ones, grey, black, ochre and red are combined to render the material of his shirt. Each touch contributes to the making of the piece. That intriguing complex of lines and colours characterizes many paintings made by Giacometti in the first half of the 1950s. Sometimes the artist uses a subtle play of colours to render the spatial environment in which his characters are placed: that is the case with the stüa in Stampa and with the patterns of his Persian carpet (“The artist’s mother” in MoMa) or with the sculptures and furniture in the studio (“Annette with chariot”, private collection). Other times, that weave of colours contributes to construct the forms of the characters represented and their attitudes, as in the nude of “Annette” dated 1954 (Staatsgalerie Stuttgart) or in the portrait of “Peter Watson” dated 1954 (Alberto Giacometti-Stiftung).
In this painting, Diego holds a central position, the surroundings do not have the same meticulousness of detail. The character poses in the studio, identifiable by its furniture barely sketched: the stove on the left, the chest of drawers on the right and the corners of the room marked by vertical and oblique black lines. Above the chest of drawers, one can see a figurine, one of the numerous sculptures that probably surrounded the model.
The colour of the edges of the work, in cornflower blue, less usual than the ochre and grey of the artist's palette, is found in a few paintings from the 1950s.
Exhibited in the artist's lifetime in the big retrospectives in London (1955), Berne (1956) and Zurich (1962) and at the XXXI Venice Biennial (1962), this painting is signed and dated by the artist (“Alberto Giacometti 1954”).

Signed and dated with a paintbrush at the bottom right corner "Alberto Giacometti 1954"

Marguerite et Aimé MAEGHT
Adrien MAEGHT
Private collection
Sale Christie's New York New York, NY, November 5th, 2013, lot n ° 9

1955 XX Alberto Giacometti. Sculpture, Paintings, Drawings, London (United Kingdom), Arts Council Gallery, from June 4th to July 9th 1955, no. 47
1956 Alberto Giacometti, Berne (Switzerland), Kunsthalle Bern, from June 16th to July 22nd 1956, no. 63
1962 XXXI Biennale internazionale d'arte, Venice (Italy), Biennale d'arte, from June 16th to October 7th 1962, no. 10
1962 Alberto Giacometti, Zurich (Switzerland), Kunsthaus Zürich, from December 2nd 1962 to January 6th 1963, no. 129
1969 Alberto Giacometti, Paris (France), Orangerie des Tuileries, from October 15th 1969 to January 12th 1970, no. 159
1975 La Fondation Marguerite et Aimé Maeght, Bruxelles (Belgium), Musée d'Ixelles, from January 31st to March 16th 1975, no. 37
1976 Alberto Giacometti. Skulpturer. Malerier. Tegninger. Litografier. Fondation Maeght Pa Louisiana, Humlebæk (Denmark), Louisiana Museum for Moderne Kunst, no. 1
1976 Giacometti. Coleccion de la Fundacion Maeght, Madrid (Spain), Fondacion Juan March, no. 38
1976 Alberto Giacometti 1901-1966, Helsinki (Finland), Amos Andersonin Taidemuseo, from December 18th 1976 to January 30th 1977, no. 23
1977 Alberto Giacometti 1901-1966. Skulpturer, malerier, tegninger, Høvikodden (Norway), Henie-Onstad Kunstsenter, from April 28th to June 4th 1977, no. 24
1978 Alberto Giacometti, Saint-Paul-de-Vence (France), Fondation Marguerite et Aimé Maeght, from July 8th to September 30th 1978, no. 149
1979 Giacometti : on loan from the Maeght Foundation, Dallas, TX (United States Of America), Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, from September 26th to November 25th 1979, no. 28
1980 Alberto Giacometti. Skulpturen. Bilder. Zeichnungen, 10 Jahre Maeght Zürich. 10 Jahre Maeght Zürich, Zurich (Switzerland), Galerie Maeght, no. 31
1981 Giacometti. Sculptures. Paintings. Drawings, Manchester (United Kingdom), from January 10th to February 21st 1981, no. 51
1981 Alberto Giacometti, Saint-Etienne (France), Musée d'Art et d'Industrie de Saint-Etienne, from July 6th to September 28th 1981, no. 17
1982 L'univers d'Aimé et Marguerite Maeght, Saint-Paul-de-Vence (France), Fondation Marguerite et Aimé Maeght, from July 3rd to October 3rd 1982, no. 68
1986 Alberto Giacometti. 1901-1966, Beelden. Schilderijen. Tekeningen. Grafik. Beelden. Schilderijen. Tekeningen. Grafik, Haag (Netherlands), Haags Gemeentemuseum, from March 1st to May 12th 1986, no. 39
1986 Alberto Giacometti, Martigny (Switzerland), Fondation Pierre Gianadda, from May 16th to November 2nd 1986, no. 132
1988 Alberto Giacometti 1901-1966, Washington, D.C. (United States Of America), Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, from September 15th to November 13th 1988, no. 72
1991 Alberto Giacometti. Sculptures. Peintures. Dessins, Paris (France), Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, from November 30th 1991 to March 15th 1992, no. 198
1994 Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966). A Loan Exhibition, New York, NY (United States Of America), Acquavella Galleries, Inc, from October 27th to December 10th 1994, no. 45
1998 Alberto Giacometti, Montréal (Canada), Musée des Beaux-Arts, from June 18th to October 18th 1998, no. 64
1999 Face to face to Cyberspace, Riehen, Bâle (Switzerland), Fondation Beyeler, no. 41
2001 Alberto Giacometti, Zurich (Switzerland), Kunsthaus Zürich, from May 18th to September 2nd 2001, no. 144
2009 Cézanne and Beyond, Philadelphie, PA (United States Of America), Philadelphia Museum of Art
2010 Giacometti & Maeght 1946-1966, Saint-Paul-de-Vence (France), Fondation Marguerite et Aimé Maeght, from June 27th to October 31st 2010, no. 79

The British Art Journal, London : The British Art Journal, no. 2, spring 2009, cat. no. 1, p. 79, ill. p. 79
Les Cahiers du Musée national d'art moderne, no. 9, 1982, cat. no. 3, p. 33, ill. p. 32
no. 9, 1982
Jiri PADRTA, "L'espace dans l'oeuvre de Giacometti", in Vytvarne Umeni, Prague, no. XIII, 1963, ill. p. 162
Philippe DAVERIO, "Dieci opere per dieci racconti", in L'Arte del nostro tempo, Milan : Hachette Fascicoli, no. 4, 2011, p. 66, ill. p. 67
"Alberto Giacometti univerzuma", in Muerto, january 2014 - february 2014, ill. p. 15
P.F. ALTHAUS, in Du, Kulturelle Monatsschrift, Zurich : Verlag Conzett & Huber, no. 3, march 1958, p. 39, ill. p. 39
RAAbits Kunst, Stuttgart : RAABE Fachverlag für die Schule, no. 3, august 2013, p. 28, ill. p. 28
Tonica CHAGAS, in O Estado de S. Paulo, Sao Paulo, november 4th, 2001, p. 14, ill. p. 14
SARTRE, in Derrière le Miroir, Giacometti, Paris : Maeght éditeur, Paris, no. 65, may 1954, cat. no. 65
David SYLVESTER, Alberto Giacometti. Sculpture, Paintings, Drawings, London : Arts Council of Great Britain, 1955, cat. no. 47, pl. Plate V
Alberto Giacometti, Berne : Kunsthalle Bern, 1956, cat. no. 63, ill. p. non ill.
The Artist in his Studio, New York, NY : The Viking Press, 1960, cat. no. 126, p. 70
The Artist in his Studio, New York, NY : The Viking Press, 1960, cat. no. 126, p. 70
XXXI Biennale Internazionale d'Arte, Venezia : La Biennale di Venezia, 1962, cat. no. 10
Alberto Giacometti, Zurich : Kunsthaus, 1962, cat. no. 129
Jacques DUPIN, Alberto Giacometti, Paris : Maeght éditeur, Paris, 1962, ill. p. 135
L'atelier d'Alberto Giacometti, Paris : L'Arbalète [Marc Barbezat], Décines (Isère), 1963
Jean LEYMARIE (under the direction of), Alberto Giacometti, Paris : Ministère d'Etat des Affaires culturelles. RMN, 1969, cat. no. 159, ill. p. 108
La Fondation Marguerite et Aimé Maeght, Bruxelles : Musée d'Ixelles, 1975, cat. no. 37, ill. p. 33
Giacometti, Madrid : Fundacion Juan March, 1976, cat. no. 38
Alberto Giacometti 1901-1966, Helsinki : Amos Andersonin Taidemuseo, 1976, cat. no. 23
Alberto Giacometti. Skulpturer. Malerier. Tegninger. Litografier, Humlebaek : Louisiana. Museum of Modern Art, 1976, cat. no. 1, ill. p. 9
Jacques DUPIN, Jean-Louis PRAT, Alberto Giacometti 1901-1966, Høvikodden : Henie-Onstad Kunstsenter, 1977, cat. no. 24, ill. p. 24
Jacques DUPIN, Alberto Giacometti, Saint-Paul-de-Vence : Fondation Marguerite et Aimé Maeght, 1978, cat. no. 149, ill. p. 132
Giacometti : on loan from the Maeght Foundation, Dallas, TX : Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, 1979, cat. no. 28
Giacometti. Sculptures. Paintings. Drawings, London : Arts Council of Great Britain, 1980, cat. no. 51, p. 78
Hugo LOETSCHER, Alberto Giacometti. Skulpturen. Bilder. Zeichnungen, 10 Jahre Maeght Zürich, Zurich : Galerie Maeght, 1980, cat. no. 31, ill. p. non ill.
Alberto Giacometti, Saint-Etienne : Musée d'Art et d'Industrie de Saint-Etienne, 1981, cat. no. 27, p. 26, ill. p. 23
L'univers d'Aimé et Marguerite Maeght, Saint Paul : Fondation Maeght, 1982, cat. no. 68, p. 264, ill. p. 105
Bernard LAMARCHE-VADEL, Alberto Giacometti, Paris : Nouvelles Editions Françaises, 1984, cat. no. 137, p. 97
André KUENZI, Alberto Giacometti, Martigny : Fondation Pierre Gianadda, 1986, cat. no. 132, p. 273, ill. p. 122
Jean CLAIR, Alberto Giacometti. 1901-1966, Beelden. Schilderijen. Tekeningen. Grafik, Haag : Haags Gemeentemuseum, 1986, cat. no. 39, p. 118, ill. p. 112
Valerie J. FLETCHER (under the direction of), Alberto Giacometti. 1901-1966, Washington, D.C. : Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988, cat. no. 72, p. 184, ill. p. 185
Suzanne PAGE (under the direction of), Alberto Giacometti. Sculptures. Peintures. Dessins, Paris : Paris-Musées, 1991, cat. no. 198, ill. p. 295
Yves BONNEFOY, Alberto Giacometti. Biographie d'une oeuvre, Paris : Flammarion, 1991, cat. no. 402, ill. p. 422
Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966), A Loan Exhibition, New York, NY : Acquavella Galleries, Inc, 1994, cat. no. 45, p. 114, ill. p. 75
Jean-Louis PRAT (under the direction of), Alberto Giacometti, Montréal : Musée des Beaux-Arts, 1998, cat. no. 64, p. 100
Christian KLEMM (under the direction of), Alberto Giacometti, Zurich : Kunsthaus Zürich, 2001 / Berlin : Nicolaische Verlagsbuchhandlung, 2001 / New York, NY : The Museum of Modern Art, 2001, cat. no. 144, ill. p. 207
Giacometti. Three Essays, New York, NY : Black Square Editions, 2003, p. 23, ill. p. 22
Cézanne and Beyond, Philadelphie, PA : Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2009, p. 381, ill. p. 380
Giacometti & Maeght 1946-1966, Saint-Paul-de-Vence : Fondation Marguerite et Aimé Maeght, 2010, cat. no. 79, p. 179, ill. p. 115
Jan BLANC (under the direction of), Paroles d'artistes. De la Renaissance à Sophie Calle, Paris : Editions Citadelles & Mazenod, 2012, ill. p. 420
SARTRE, Alberto Giacometti, Sao Paulo : Editora WMF Martins Fontes Ltda, 2012, ill. p. 65
Yves BONNEFOY, Alberto Giacometti. Biographie d'une oeuvre, Paris : Flammarion, 2012, cat. no. 402, ill. p. 422
Impressionist & Modern Evening Sale, New York, NY : Christie's New York, 2013, lot no. 9
L'atelier d'Alberto Giacometti, Paris : L'Arbalète [Marc Barbezat], Décines (Isère), 2018