Annette IV
Alberto Giacometti
Swiss, 1901–1966

Details
Title
Annette IV
Artist/Maker
Alberto Giacometti (Swiss, 1901–1966)
Date
1962
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
23 x 9 x 7 inches
Credit
Gift of Sara Lee Corporation
Accession #
1999.40
Location
Currently not on view
Alberto Giacometti, a renowned Swiss modernist, remained devoted to the figure throughout his artistic career. He worked tirelessly to reveal the essence of the human form, consistently “thinning” the figures until their bodies mimicked shadows—solid bronze yet imbued with a sense of ethereal nothingness. His models usually were his family and closest confidants-- most notably his wife Annette. In Annette IV, she faces forward, simultaneously confronting the viewer and looking beyond them into the void. The surface appears jagged, fraught with the evidence of Giacometti’s erratic jabs at the material. Annette’s expression is haunting and her tortured, hollow eyes convey an unspoken message.
Image Copyright
© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris