Alberto Giacometti

Q: Where can I see Giacometti sculptures?

The largest collections are at the Fondation Giacometti in Paris, MoMA in New York, and Kunsthaus Zurich. His bronzes appear in major museums worldwide, including the Guggenheim and Tate.

Q: What is Giacometti's most famous sculpture?

Walking Man I (1960) is his most iconic work. It sold for $104.3 million in 2010. The thin, striding figure captures isolation and resilience, themes central to post-war existentialist thought.

Q: What art movement was Giacometti part of?

Giacometti was involved with Surrealism in the 1930s but broke with the group after WWII. His mature work is often linked to existentialism, particularly the philosophy of his friend Jean-Paul Sartre.

Swiss·1901–1966

No Portrait Available

Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor, painter, and printmaker whose elongated, skeletal bronze figures made him one of the most recognized artists of the 20th century. Born in 1901 in Borgonovo, Switzerland, he moved to Paris in 1922 and spent most of his career there. During the 1930s he was closely associated with Surrealism, creating works like The Palace at 4 a.m.

After World War II, Giacometti developed the style he's best known for: impossibly thin, rough-textured figures that seem to dissolve into the space around them. His Pointing Man sold for $141.3 million in 2015, making it one of the most expensive sculptures ever sold at auction. Our collection includes 5 works by Giacometti, with pieces at MoMA in New York.

Paintings by Alberto Giacometti

2 paintings catalogued with museum locations

L'Homme au doigt (Pointing Man)

Alberto Giacometti, 1947

Private Collection, Unknown

Museums with Alberto Giacometti's Work

2 museums display Giacometti's works. Click any museum to see visiting info and the specific works they hold.

Private Collection

Unknown, Unknown

2 works on display

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

New York, USA

1 work on display

About Alberto Giacometti

The largest collections are at the Fondation Giacometti in Paris, MoMA in New York, and Kunsthaus Zurich. His bronzes appear in major museums worldwide, including the Guggenheim and Tate.

Walking Man I (1960) is his most iconic work. It sold for $104.3 million in 2010. The thin, striding figure captures isolation and resilience, themes central to post-war existentialist thought.

Giacometti was involved with Surrealism in the 1930s but broke with the group after WWII. His mature work is often linked to existentialism, particularly the philosophy of his friend Jean-Paul Sartre.