%C2%A9 Estate of Alberto Giacometti %2F Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society %28ARS%29%2C NY%0D%0A%0D%0A
Untitled (Annette), 1957
Alberto Giacomettiexpand_more
Graphite pencil reworked with eraser (estompe) on buff wove paperexpand_more
Gift of Mary and Bob Merksyexpand_more 2016.35.3
Not on Viewexpand_more
Alberto Giacometti’s wife and frequent model, Annette, sits alone on a stool in the artist’s studio, gazing straight ahead, devoid of expression. The drawing focuses on Annette—her figure so small within the vast and vaguely drawn interior—especially her face, which Giacometti has reworked with graphite and erasure to draw attention without providing much more visual information. Giacometti intended such portraits not as psychological or sociological studies but as translations of the models’ “otherness,” suggesting that no amount of understanding or identifying with his subjects could overcome their separateness from him. He meant his portraits to be interpreted solely by the spectator, and like his very slender bronze figure sculptures, the portrait drawings suggest melancholy, alienation, and loneliness.
Details
- Title
- Untitled (Annette)
- Artist Life
- 1901–1966
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2016.35.3
- Provenance
- [Galerie Maeght, Paris]; Cristobal Balenciaga, Barcelona; Private collection, New York; Sale Sotheby's New York, May 8th, 2014, lot 384, unsold; [Karen Lennox Gallery, Chicago, sold to Mersky, 2015]; Robert B. Mersky, Minneapolis, 2015-16; given to MIA, 2016.
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Fondation Giacometti AGD 2172 (online)
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know
© Estate of Alberto Giacometti / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY