Tall Figure

Alberto Giacometti

1947 · Bronze · Modern and Contemporary Art

Sometime after 1945, Giacometti stopped making experimental figures only one or two centimeters in height and began to focus on larger ones. By 1947 three main themes had emerged: the walking man, the standing woman, and the bust or head. Without volume or mass, this over-life-size standing woman appears remote, her otherworldliness accentuated by the matte beige paint the artist applied to the bronze. The figure looks as if it has withstood centuries of rough weather that has left its surface crusty and eroded. The pose reflects that of certain ancient Egyptian statues.

Artist

Alberto Giacometti

Date

1947

Medium

Bronze

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

The Pierre and Maria-Gaetana Matisse Collection, 2002