Diego Giacometti
Encyclopedia
Diego Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor and designer, and the younger brother of the sculptor Alberto Giacometti
.
, he grew up in a warm, convivial familial atmosphere amidst the animals of their farm. In 1904, the family settled in nearby Stampa
in the canton
of Grisons.
After business studies in Basel
and Saint-Gall, at age 25 he followed the advice of his mother Annetta and went to Paris
to rejoin his brother Alberto, then a student of the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle
at the Academy of the Grande Chaumière. All three of the Giacometti brothers went into the visual arts: Alberto and Diego into painting and sculpture, and Bruno
into architecture.
until the ends of their lives and executed the commissions of their cultured clients such as the Maeght and Noailles
families.
During World War II
Diego Giacometti did his first animal sculptures. Animals regularly adorned his works, such as the Table arbre à la souris (Tree table with mouse) which belonged to the collection of Jean-Paul Binet, an eminent surgeon who was a close friend and patron of Diego Giacometti. His fascination with the animal kingdom was tied to the mythological and dream-like world of his childhood.
He used bronze, a material that permitted him to sculpt in great detail, grace and elasticity. Diego's animals called for special, often costly techniques such as the lost wax method. His animals were so finely done they helped make his reputation
After the death of Alberto in 1966, Diego redoubled his efforts, doing works of importance for decorators such as Georges Geffroy
and Henri Samuel, or ensembles for public works such as the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the Chagall Museum in Nice
, and the Picasso Museum in Paris
. It was only after Alberto died that Diego came to be widely recognized as an important artist.
A major selection of his working material - over 500 items from the studio - has been given in 1986 by his estate to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, following his exhibition held a few months after his death.
Alberto Giacometti
Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draughtsman, and printmaker.Alberto Giacometti was born in the canton Graubünden's southerly alpine valley Val Bregaglia and came from an artistic background; his father, Giovanni, was a well-known post-Impressionist painter...
.
Youth
Diego Giacometti was born in Borgonovo, a Swiss village near the Italian border. Son of the painter Giovanni GiacomettiGiovanni Giacometti
Giovanni Giacometti was a Swiss painter. He was the father of the artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti and the architect Bruno Giacometti.- External links :*...
, he grew up in a warm, convivial familial atmosphere amidst the animals of their farm. In 1904, the family settled in nearby Stampa
Stampa
Stampa is a former municipality in the Maloja district of the Swiss canton, Graubünden. It is now part of the municipality of Bregaglia.-Geography:Stampa has an area, , of . Of this area, 14.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18.8% is forested...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Grisons.
After business studies in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
and Saint-Gall, at age 25 he followed the advice of his mother Annetta and went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to rejoin his brother Alberto, then a student of the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle
Antoine Bourdelle
Antoine Bourdelle , originally Émile Antoine Bourdelle, was an influential and prolific French sculptor, painter, and teacher.-Career:...
at the Academy of the Grande Chaumière. All three of the Giacometti brothers went into the visual arts: Alberto and Diego into painting and sculpture, and Bruno
Bruno Giacometti
Bruno Giacometti is a Swiss architect and the brother of the artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti. He is among the most notable post-World War II architects in Switzerland....
into architecture.
Alberto and Diego
The working relationshiop of Diego with Alberto was so close that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the work of Diego from that of Alberto, 13 months his senior. They shared the same sculpture studio at 46 rue Hippolyte-Maindron in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
until the ends of their lives and executed the commissions of their cultured clients such as the Maeght and Noailles
Noailles
Noailles is the name of several communes in France:* Noailles, Corrèze, in the Corrèze département* Noailles, Oise, in the Oise département* Noailles, Tarn, in the Tarn département* Noailles, a neighborhood of Marseilles and its metro station...
families.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Diego Giacometti did his first animal sculptures. Animals regularly adorned his works, such as the Table arbre à la souris (Tree table with mouse) which belonged to the collection of Jean-Paul Binet, an eminent surgeon who was a close friend and patron of Diego Giacometti. His fascination with the animal kingdom was tied to the mythological and dream-like world of his childhood.
Work of Diego Giacometti
His sculptures are sometimes amusing or picturesque. For example, L' Autruche (The Ostrich) owed its existence to the fact that his friend Dr. Binet, not knowing what to do with an ostrich egg, gave it to Diego who integrated inside an ostrich that he dreamt up and sculpted. Diego Giacometti's animal art was rich. Along with familiar animals he liked to have animals that symbolized force, power and beauty such as the heads of lions, wolves and horses.He used bronze, a material that permitted him to sculpt in great detail, grace and elasticity. Diego's animals called for special, often costly techniques such as the lost wax method. His animals were so finely done they helped make his reputation
After the death of Alberto in 1966, Diego redoubled his efforts, doing works of importance for decorators such as Georges Geffroy
Georges Geffroy
Georges Geffroy was a post-war French interior designer.-Biography:"an eighteenth-century gentleman, a figure from another era, one of a breed of decorators that is extinct today,” remembers couturier Hubert de Givenchy,...
and Henri Samuel, or ensembles for public works such as the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the Chagall Museum in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, and the Picasso Museum in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. It was only after Alberto died that Diego came to be widely recognized as an important artist.
A major selection of his working material - over 500 items from the studio - has been given in 1986 by his estate to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, following his exhibition held a few months after his death.
Source
- Diego Giacometti, entry in the French Wikipédia, translated 12 June 2008
External links
- Biography of Diego Giacometti in English, Italian and Spanish
- The Furniture of Diego Giacometti by Michael Brenson in The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...