Tate Modern has announced that it will be displaying a celebrated group of plaster sculptures by Giacometti as part of a brand new exhibition celebrating the artist’s work.
Best known for his work in bronze, Tate Modern’s new retrospective will examine Giacometti’s work in a wide variety of materials and textures, concentrating in particular on plaster, clay and paint.
This particular group of six plaster sculptures, Women of Venice, are being brought together for the very first time since they were created in 1956 for the Venice Biennale and will be shown alongside two further sculptures from the series which were also unveiled in the same year.
The artist was selected to represent France at the 1956 Venice Biennale, with all of the sculptures depicting an elongated standing female nude – the result of a study of his wife Annette, one of his most important models.
With this latest retrospective, the Tate want to reposition Giacometti as an artist who liked to experiment with a variety of materials and to offer visitors a different perspective of his working methods.
As well as the group of plaster sculptures, the exhibition will also feature other important plaster sculptures, drawings and sketch books that have never been shown before, including The Nosec.1947-9, Medium Figure III 1948-9 and Woman Leoni 1947-58.
The exhibition will bring together over 250 of the artist’s work, showcasing his evolution across five decades.
Tate Modern’s retrospective of Alberto Giacometti will be on display from the 10th May until the 10th September. For more information and to book tickets visit: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/alberto-giacometti.