Chariot

Alberto Giacometti conceived The Chariot in 1950, casting it in painted bronze in 1951-52. A thin, elongated nude female figure stands on a platform mounted between two large wheels, the entire work rising nearly five feet tall. The rough, textured surface and attenuated form convey solitude and human vulnerability.

The sculpture draws from two sources. During a 1938 hospital stay at Paris's Bichat Clinic, Giacometti became fascinated by nurses pushing pharmacy wagons with tinkling bells. He also studied ancient Egyptian chariot forms at Florence's Archaeological Museum, whose heightened figures suggest objects of worship. The painted bronze technique recalls polychrome Egyptian funerary art.

Giacometti's emaciated postwar figures reflect existentialist philosophy, presenting humanity as isolated and fragile yet somehow transcendent. The Chariot ranks among his most important works, combining personal memory with ancient artistic traditions. Hedge fund manager Steven Cohen acquired it at Sotheby's in November 2014 for $101 million, the second-highest price for any Giacometti sculpture.