Alberto Giacometti

Galerie Maeght, Paris
Walter Bareiss, New York
Jan Krugier Gallery, New York
Yoshii Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above

Munich, Neue Staatsgalerie, Sammlung Walter Bareiss, 1965, n.n.

The work is in excellent condition. Executed on cream wove paper. The sheet is hinged to a mount at several places along the perimeter of its verso. The left edge is deckled and the other three are cut. There is a pindot accretion in the upper right quadrant. The sheet is very lightly time stained overall.
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.

Giacometti's depictions of the interior of his studio capture the frenetic artistry that defined his creative process. Alexander Liberman, who visited Giacometti's studio in the early 1950s, described the scene: "Under a big window is a long table entirely covered with squeezed tubes of paint, palettes, paintbrushes, rags and bottles of turpentine.  Like figures, the bottles stand shrouded in layers of dust chipped away from Giacometti's sculpture. Here sculpture and painting mix intimately" (Alexander Liberman, The Artist and His Studio, New York, 1960, pp. 277-78). Giacometti once quipped that only Francis Bacon had a messier studio than he did, perhaps indicative of a certain pride that he may have taken in his own permissive disorderliness. Yet, there are obvious elements of staging in these compositions that remind us of the artist's overall control of his environment. The tension between order and disorder is at the heart of these compositions, and the present work certainly captures the beauty created by these forces in opposition. 



The authenticity of the work has been confirmed by the Comité Giacometti and it is recorded in the Alberto Giacometti database under number AGD 3695.