Fifty years after his death, Swiss modernist master Alberto Giacometti is being celebrated across the globe with a series of retrospective exhibitions. For the lone Asian stop off its world tour, the Alberto Giacometti Retrospective takes over the entire Yuz Museum for the biggest showcase on Giacometti to date.
Days before the show’s opening, the head of the Fondation Giacometti, Catherine Grenier, is serene. Shows have already been hosted in Spain, Istanbul and Italy with upcoming exhibitions scheduled in Moscow, Morocco and London’s Tate Modern.
“Every generation will rewrite history and even fantastic artists can be forgotten,” she says. “As a foundation it’s very important that Giacometti stays in the minds of our present culture and see the real works.”
'Reclining Woman Who Dreams' (1929)
Featuring over 250 works created from 1917 to 1966, the retrospective aims to be a thorough introduction to Giacometti’s legendary career.
Masterpieces like 1929’s ‘Reclining Woman Who Dreams,’ 1947’s ‘The Nose’ and 1960’s ‘Walking Man I’ are mixed with lesser known works such as the famed sculptor’s work with plasters, paintings and sketches.
Broken into 10 themed areas, the show covers Giacometti’s life from his relationship with his artistic family to his last years attempting to realistically capture reality through busts and creating lithographs immortalizing his Paris residence.
'The Nose' (1947)
Sections are devoted to his early work with the Surrealists, his friendship with Samuel Beckett and the artist at work captured by the great photographers of his time like Magnum founder Henri-Cartier Bressen.
“We also have a special design setting in the museum hall that shows his work in a contemporary manner,” Grenier adds. “We want visitors to understand what is the question of scale in the work of Giacometti.”
“Very often the works are very small but they need a big room around because it fills the space in a way.”
'Tall Thin Head' (1954)
As the first Giacometti exhibition in China, The Alberto Giacometti Retrospective is impressively thorough. The exhibition ends with a replica of his 23-square-meter Parisian studios where he crafted sculptures as small as 5 centimeters to huge monumental bronze sculptures created for New York’s One Chase Manhattan Plaza.
Workshops will take place within it, allowing guests, particularly families, to get their hands dirty and discover Giacometti’s artistic methods.
“Giacometti talks to everybody, even to children,” Grenier says. “There are emotions in his work. While it’s full of very refine references to antique, African, modern, Cubist, Surrealist, Sumerian and even Chinese art, you don’t need to have this background to appreciate this work. But if you do have that, you discover something else in the work and that is very special about Giacometti.”
'Walking Man I' (1960)
Enshrined on the 100 Swiss Franc banknote, Giacometti has been referred to “the artist of artists.” Grenier points to his attitude towards his career for the esteemed reputation.
“For artists, he’s a symbol of resistance. He had no interest in the different trends of the mainstream and the market. He was friends with a lot of artists, but wasn’t part of a group except for the short early period of Surrealism,” she explains.
“When he was a Surrealist, he was famous. He had collectors, galleries and friends. Five years later, he felt he had done all he needed to do in that kind of work and returned to his studio. He lost everything and he didn’t mind. So it’s this attitude that’s very important to contemporary artists today.”
Mar 22-July 31, 10am-10pm (Tues-Thurs and Sun), 10am-midnight (Fri-Sat), RMB150. Yuz Museum.
All images belong to and are courtesy of the Fondation Giacometti and Yuz Museum.
0 User Comments