Giacometti. Pure Presence

Taking its title from Jean-Paul Sartre, who described Giacometti´s endeavor to give "sensible expression" to "pure presence," this book explores the artist´s work in relation to existentialist ideas. Spanning painting, sculpture, drawing and printmaking, Giacometti´s oeuvre ranges from surrealist objects to images of the human figure, with portraits of particular individuals at the center. This book looks at the various phases of the artist´s career and explores in detail his depiction of his main sitters, including his mother; Diego his brother; his wife Annette; Jean Genet the playwright; Caroline, a prostitute; and his friends Yanaihara and Lotar. Early drawings, paintings and sculptures of family members and his own image demonstrate Giacometti´s awareness of Post-Impressionist and Divisionist styles. From 1946 Giacometti resumed painting and depicting individuals became central to his work. After 1954, when he began making sculpture from life, his portraits expressed a dialogue between painting and sculpture.