Alberto Giacometti

Galerie Maeght, Paris

Saidenberg Gallery, New York

Sale: Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, May 17, 1978, lot 78

The Waddington Galleries, London (acquired by 1979)

Ida Kimche, New York

James Goodman Gallery, New York (acquired from the above in 1983)

Private Collection (acquired from the above in 1983 and sold: Christie's, New York, November 3, 2010, lot 21)

Aqcuired at the above sale

Jacques Dupin, Alberto Giacometti, Paris, 1962, illustration of another cast p. 265

Herbert & Mercedes Matter, Alberto Giacometti, New York, 1987, illustration of another cast pp. 102-103

Alberto Giacometti, Francis Bacon: Isabel and Other Intimate Strangers (exhibition catalogue), Gagosian Gallery, New York, 2008, illustration in color of another cast pp. 64-65, 254

This work is in excellent condition. Dark brown and dark green patina. A few minor spot repairs to the patina, otherwise fine.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The subject of the present sculpture is Giacometti's muse, Annette, a young woman whom he met in Geneva shortly after he moved back to Switzerland from Paris in 1942. Aside from the artist's brother Diego, Annette would become the principal model for his sculpture. Her form begins to appear in Giacometti's sculpture in the mid-1950s, marking a decisive shift in his art. When compared to his weightless, anonymous female figures of the previous decade, Giacometti's women of this decade are imbued with a more expressive style and activating presence. Although several strong women inspired Giacometti, it was Annette who had the most profound and lasting impact on his work.

Femme exhibits a sensuality unique in Giacometti's sculpture, both in its subject and in its artistic formation. Giacometti paid great attention to the modeling of his works. Its rough-hewn surface qualities resonate with Giacometti's interest in artifacts of ancient civilizations, such as African tribal reliquary figures, Egyptian statues or Cycladic fertility goddesses. The artist himself declared: "The works of the past that I find the most true to reality are those that are considered the least, the furthest from it" (quoted in Herbert & Mercedes Matter, op. cit., p. 211). With her pronounced curves and voluptuous features, Femme possesses a perennial mythic quality distinctive within his oeuvre.