Lot 3288 - A213 Impressionist & Modern Art - Friday, 27. June 2025, 04.30 PM
ALBERTO GIACOMETTI
(Stampa 1901–1966 Chur)
Composition (dite cubiste I, couple). Circa 1926/27.
Bronze, dark brown patina. Cast 1991.
Signed and numbered verso: Alberto Giacometti 2/8.
67.1 × 43.7 × 39.9 cm.
Certificate:
Provenance:
- Private collection.
- Sale Christie's, New York, 14.11.1996, Lot 221.
- With Galerie Beyeler, Basel.
- Marsha Glazer, California, acquired from the above gallery.
- Private collection, Switzerland, acquired from the above collection.
- Sale Christie's, London, 4.2.2014, Lot 35.
- Private collection, Switzerland, acquired at the above auction.
Exhibited:
- New York 1994, Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966). A Loan Exhibition, Acquavella Galleries, 27.10.–10.12.1994, no. 1 (with ill. p. 31).
- Malmö 1994/95, Alberto Giacometti. Skulpturer, teckningar, målningar, Malmö Konsthall, 29.10.1994–22.1.1995.
- Santa Barbara 2005, Out of site. Selections from the Marsha S. Glazer Collection, University of California Art Museum, 5.1.–27.2.2005.
Literature:
Alberto Giacometti arrived in Paris in the early 1920s and worked in the studio of Émile-Antoine Bourdelle. While Bourdelle tolerated Giacometti’s modern approach, he insisted that his young student continue producing classical works as well. Despite the stylistic differences between the two, Giacometti greatly benefited from this solid and technical training.
However, the decisive factor in his artistic development was the vibrant environment of Paris Montparnasse – then a thriving hub of the avant-garde, where artists from all over the world came together. In 1925, Giacometti met sculptors Constantin Brancusi, Ossip Zadkine, and Jacques Lipchitz. All three were older and more advanced in their sculptural expression. Lipchitz, in particular, with his post-Cubist forms, had a formative influence on the young artist in the mid-1920s.
This encounter marked a turning point in Giacometti’s work and can be seen as the beginning of his artistic maturity. It was during this period that he began developing an independent style—one that would evolve over the following years from forms reminiscent of Cycladic art and surrealist influences to the iconic elongated figures of the postwar period.
In "Composition (dite cubiste I, couple)", we see that Giacometti did not merely adopt Cubism; rather, he transformed it to serve his own artistic aims, shaping a visual language that oscillates between Art Deco and abstraction. The sculpture’s strictly geometric structure does not remain entirely abstract: the two central, slightly inclined elements suggest heads. This already signals Giacometti’s consistent engagement with the human figure—a theme that would remain central throughout his career.
The work in question is likely Giacometti’s first major Cubist sculpture. It only came to public attention in 1991, when the original plaster model from the estate of Alberto Giacometti was cast in bronze. One of these bronze casts is now on loan at the Kunsthaus Zürich.
However, the decisive factor in his artistic development was the vibrant environment of Paris Montparnasse – then a thriving hub of the avant-garde, where artists from all over the world came together. In 1925, Giacometti met sculptors Constantin Brancusi, Ossip Zadkine, and Jacques Lipchitz. All three were older and more advanced in their sculptural expression. Lipchitz, in particular, with his post-Cubist forms, had a formative influence on the young artist in the mid-1920s.
This encounter marked a turning point in Giacometti’s work and can be seen as the beginning of his artistic maturity. It was during this period that he began developing an independent style—one that would evolve over the following years from forms reminiscent of Cycladic art and surrealist influences to the iconic elongated figures of the postwar period.
In "Composition (dite cubiste I, couple)", we see that Giacometti did not merely adopt Cubism; rather, he transformed it to serve his own artistic aims, shaping a visual language that oscillates between Art Deco and abstraction. The sculpture’s strictly geometric structure does not remain entirely abstract: the two central, slightly inclined elements suggest heads. This already signals Giacometti’s consistent engagement with the human figure—a theme that would remain central throughout his career.
The work in question is likely Giacometti’s first major Cubist sculpture. It only came to public attention in 1991, when the original plaster model from the estate of Alberto Giacometti was cast in bronze. One of these bronze casts is now on loan at the Kunsthaus Zürich.
CHF 350 000 / 500 000 | (€ 360 820 / 515 460)
Sold for CHF 412 500 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.