Opening Day Lecture | “Alberto Giacometti: Toward the Ultimate Figure”
Alberto Giacometti, Walking Man I, c. 1960, bronze, Fondation Giacometti. © Succession Alberto Giacometti / ADAGP, Paris, 2022
Ernst Scheidegger, Alberto Giacometti Working on the Plaster of the “Walking Man,” c. 1959, silver print on paper, Archives, Fondation Giacometti. © 2022 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ProLitteris, Zurich
Gordon Parks, Alberto Giacometti in His Studio, c. 1951, silver print on paper, Archives, Fondation Giacometti. Courtesy of and © The Gordon Parks Foundation
Opening Day Lecture | Alberto Giacometti: Toward the Ultimate Figure
Speaker: Ann Dumas, consulting curator for European art
Acclaimed as one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century, Alberto Giacometti reasserted the validity of the figure and figural representation at a time when abstract art had become dominant in the international art world.
The exhibition Alberto Giacometti: Toward the Ultimate Figure focuses on the artist’s singular concern for the human figure during the postwar period (1945–66), when he developed his signature style featuring thin, elongated bodies animated by vigorously modeled surfaces. This talk explores Giacometti’s connection with existentialist philosophy and the notable photographers who contributed to the mythical status he achieved during his lifetime.
Plan Your Visit This program takes place in Brown Auditorium Theater and is included with general admission. Seating is first come, first served. Exhibition tickets are available separately.
Safety Guidelines Masks are recommended in Museum auditoriums. In the interest of your personal safety and community health, please observe all precautions set forth by the MFAH—learn more here.
Learning and Interpretation programs receive generous funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services; Samuel H. Kress Foundation; The Brown Foundation, Inc.; Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; Houston Junior Woman’s Club; Sharon G. Dies; Sterling-Turner Foundation; Susan Vaughan Foundation; and additional generous donors.
“Alberto Giacometti: Toward the Ultimate Figure” is co-organized by the Fondation Giacometti in Paris and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
This exhibition is made possible in part by a grant from:
Generous support provided by:
Jerold B. Katz Foundation
M. D. Anderson Foundation
Sara Dodd and Will Denton
Carol and Mike Linn
Dorothy Bridgwater Black Fund
Susanne and William E. Pritchard III
Official Promotional Partner: