In 1922, after studying at the Geneva School of Fine Arts, Giacometti went to Paris. He frequented Antoine Bourdelle's studio and became acquainted with cubism, which thus influenced his first works. He was passionate about ancient statues, especially Egyptian, African and Oceanic art to the point of giving up the modeling of the figure and instead using a combination of symbols to represent facial features.
In 1929, he became known to the Surrealists and became their companion for a few years. This period includes some of his most disturbing works, such as the "cages" populated by strange figures or "unpleasant things" with a strong sexual connotation.
In 1935, Giacometti left the movement of André Breton and turned to the human figure and portraiture which remained the focus of his concerns until his death in 1966. The question of resemblance to the living model remains central to his painted and sculpted portraits. To resolve his inability to represent the model as he sees it, he invokes the artists and civilizations that preceded him, and particularly Egyptian statuary. Many of his iconic works bear his mark.
After World War II, Giacometti developed the figure model we know. Extremely elongated and fragile, immobile or sequestered men and women evolve, alone or in groups.
In the 50s and 60s, the painting also revealed ghostly figures placed in a space halfway between the view of the workshop and the world of dreams, a parallel universe in which the human is as comfortable as possible.
