Collection
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Title
Woman of Venice VII
1956
Artist
Alberto Giacometti
Switzerland
10 Oct 1901 - 1966
About
Purchased by the Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation in 1994, 'Woman of Venice VII' is the first sculpture by Alberto Giacometti to enter a public art collection in Australia. It is one of nine bronze figures that were created as 'states' of a single figure modelled in clay on a single armature over a period of about three weeks and cast in plaster by the artist's brother, Diego. The hands held at the side of the figure's broad body emphasise the corporeality of the figure and recall Giacometti's early experiments with female spoon-like forms. As in other works in this series the tension created between the heavy wedge-shaped pedestal and the figure's tiny head endows the piece with a sense of the visionary that the artist favoured. The heavily textured quality of this work and original patination make this one of Giacometti's most distinctive and successful female figures. This work perfectly embodies Giacometti's ambivalent attitude towards women whom he idolised but whom he also found suffocating and incomprehensible. 'Woman of Venice VII' encourages the viewer to engage imaginatively with its mysterious subject. Whether we interpret her as a goddess or prostitute, Egyptian cult figure or decomposing corpse, one cannot remain unmoved by Giacometti's powerful interpretation of humanity.
No.5 in an edition of 6.
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Details
Alternative title
Femme de Venise VII
Date
1956
Materials used
bronze
Edition
5/6
Dimensions
117.0 x 16.0 x 36.0 cm
Signature & date
Signed left edge of base, inscribed into metal "Alberto Giacometti". Not dated.
Credit
Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Purchase 1994
Location
Not on display
Accession number
612.1994
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Alberto Giacometti
Woman of Venice VII
Shown in 2 exhibitions
Exhibition history
Alberto Giacometti:
- The Museum of Modern Art, United States of America 09 Jun 1965–10 Oct 1965
- The Art Institute of Chicago, United States of America 05 Nov 1965–12 Dec 1965
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, United States of America 11 Jan 1966–20 Feb 1966
- San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco 10 Mar 1966–24 Apr 1966
Giacometti: sculptures, prints and drawings from the Maeght Foundation:
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 18 Aug 2006–22 Oct 2006
- Christchurch Art Gallery, Christchurch 17 Nov 2006–25 Feb 2007
Referenced in 10 publications
Bibliography
Edmund Capon, Look, 'Giacometti in the gallery', pg.24-27, Sydney, Jul 2006, 24.
Bruce James, Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook, 'Western Collection: Paintings and Sculpture', pg. 17-77, Sydney, 1999, 67 (colour illus.).
Bernard Rigby, Look, 'Getting to the essence', Melbourne, Jun 2001, 34 (colour illus.).
Michael Wardell, Look, 'Foundation building', pg.14-17, Sydney, Sep 2004, 17.
Alberto Giacometti: a biography of his work, Chapter IX 'The Great Work', pg. 371-461, Paris, 1991, 404 (illus.). cat.no. 381, Private collection. It is not known if this is the AGNSW cast as it is not known which cast is illustrated.
Giacometti: sculptures, prints & drawings from the Maeght Fondation, Sydney, 2006, (illus.).
Alberto Giacometti, New York, 1965, 69 (illus.). cat.no. 55, 'Figure from Venice VII', lent by Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York. It is not known for sure if this is the AGNSW cast as it is not known if Pierre Matisse Gallery owned more than one cast at the same time and if so which one was exhibited.
Jill Sykes (Editor), Look, 'Moving sculpture, taking the sculpture off the plinth and putting it back in the real world' Tony Bond and Jill Sykes, pg. 29-31, Sydney, Aug 2003, 29 (colour illus.).
Edmund Capon, Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Annual Report 1997, Sydney, 1997, 21 (colour illus.).
Architectural Digest, Los Angeles, Apr 1995, (illus.). Illustrated in an article on a New York Art Collector