Publisher's Synopsis
Around 1945, Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) created the almost life-size sculpture "Die Frau auf dem Wagen" (The Woman on the Cart). It remained the only large-scale work of this period and introduced the motif of the cart into his oeuvre. This catalog reflects the history of the sculpture and presents it in dialogue with other works by Giacometti. "The Woman on the Cart," created in exile, is the only plaster sculpture by Alberto Giacometti in a German museum that demonstrates his signature and functioning in detail. Compared to the tiny, simultaneously created, fragile plaster figures it also remaines Giacometti's only large-scale work of this period. The woman, who can be identified as an homage to his friend Isabel Nicholas, stands on a massive cube base, which sits on a low, four-wheeled wooden cart. The newly introduced theme of the cart is an essential part of the impact and importance of the figure: Stillness and vibrancy create a dramatic tension. This also marks the second version of the cart created in 1950; It recalls ancient chariots, but even more so ceremonial Celtic origins.Thus the sculpture becomes a cycle of triumph and death, a memorial for the living and the dead. This volume details for the first time the history, changes and modifications of the sculpture in plaster and bronze. Comparisons with other sculptures as well as paintings, drawings and photographs clearly mark the transition phase in the overall work of the artist. Finally there is a success in the "totality of a form" in which proximity and inner vision join together to a slim and fragile figuration. German text, with English text on CD-ROM.
