Portrait of the Artistʼs Mother, 1918
Bildnis der Mutter

The most intense drawings of Giacometti’s early years are portraits of either his mother or himself. The debt to Ferdinand Hodler’s compositional principles is impossible to overlook. The symmetrical structure, the cross-shaped arrangement of the nose and eyes, the inner frame, the front-on confrontation with the model and the unconditional dominance of the eyes and gaze remain fundamental to Giacometti’s work right through to the very last heads.

Material
Pen in black on paper
Dimensions
25.4 x 19.9 cm
Creditline
Kunsthaus Zürich, Collection of Prints and Drawings, Alberto Giacometti-Stiftung, 1981
Object number
GS 157
Signature
inscr. b. r.: Alberto Giacometti. 1918
Provenance
  • Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft | Kunsthaus Zürich (Museum), ab 1981, Leihgabe
  • Alberto Giacometti-Stiftung (Sammlung), 1981, Geschenk
  • Privatbesitz
  • Alberto Giacometti