ALBERTO GIACOMETTI | Portrait de Pierre Reverdy

Madame Tériade, Paris
Jan Krugier (acquired from the above in 1989; sale: Sotheby's, London, 24th June 2014, lot 313)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Shanghai, Museum of Contemporary Art, Culture Chanel, 2011, n.n., illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Linie, Licht und Schatten, Meisterzeichnungen und Skulpturen der Sammlung Jan und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski (exhibition catalogue), Berlin, 1999, illustrated p. 403
The Timeless Eye, Master Drawings from the Jan and Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowsky Collection (exhibition catalogue), Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, 1999, illustrated p. 403

Executed on cream wove paper and laid down on card. There are a few small repaired tears along the extreme edges, predominantly running horizontally in from the centre right edge, the largest of which (measures approx. 2cm.) There is some minor discolouration and handling marks along the edges which are not visible when framed. This work is in overall good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Pierre Reverdy (1889-1960) was a French poet whose writing was inspired by and subsequently proceeded to influence the art movements of Surrealism, Dadaism and Cubism. He interacted and collaborated with many of his avant-garde contemporaries, including Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris and Georges Braque but his work was most admired by the Surrealists due to the sense of isolation and spiritual apprehension that underlined his work, and which appealed to the Surrealist credo. Giacometti, who greatly admired Reverdy’s key ideas and wrote down in his notebook reminders to regularly re-read his writing, captures the poet’s self-assuredness and intellect with his contemplative expression. The present work speaks of the complex relationships between the different artists and ideas that characterised the time in which Reverdy and Giacometti were working. The work was also part of the legendary collection of dealer Jan Krugier, who was known for owning exquisite works on paper from many of the great masters of this medium. Displaying Giacometti’s distinctive formal technique which extracts much of the sparse vigour as his sculpture, this posthumous portrait demonstrates the artist's obsessive exploration of the human guise.

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the Comité Giacometti and it is recorded in the Alberto Giacometti Database under number 2895.