Here the father, Giovanni Giacometti, precisely captures the intensity with which Alberto invested his models. At the same time, the painting attests to his close relationship with Annetta. The artist’s searching gaze is also a questioning glance up at his mother, while she stands ramrod-straight, surveying him imperiously.

As Alberto Giacometti himself often noted later, the true vitality of a face is to be found in its gaze; and Annetta’s was especially captivating. The fact that Alberto’s eye is fully visible while hers is barely outlined in profile lends her an air of remoteness and unapproachability.

Material

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

73.5 x 65.5 cm

Creditline

Kunsthaus Zürich, Alberto Giacometti-Stiftung, Donated by Bruno and Odette Giacometti, 1985

Object number

GS 161

Signature

inscr. b. l.: G / G [Monogram]; verso: Giovni Giacometti / Maloja 1923

Further information

The sculpture that Alberto is working on here can no longer be identified.

Provenance

• ab 1985, Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft | Kunsthaus Zürich (Museum), Zürich, Leihgabe
• ab 1985, Alberto Giacometti-Stiftung (Sammlung), Zürich, Geschenk
• o.D. – 1985, Bruno und Odette Giacometti, Nachlass
• Giovanni Giacometti (*1868 Stampa, +1933 Glion) (Künstler/-in)