FEATURES ARCHIVE

Brother, Where Art Thou...
Born in Borgonovo in Switzerland in 1902, Diego Giacometti spent his formative years very close with his brother Alberto, both discovering a great interest and talent for the arts. In 1927, the two brothers moved to an atelier in Rue Hippolyte Maindron in Paris.Their mark there has made it a mythical place in Montparnasse. From 1929 to 1940, interior designer Jean-Michel Frank, commissioned them to make bronze and plaster objects for élite and intellectual Parisian society. In this period it is difficult to tell the brothers' work apart. Alberto contributed to the conception whilst Diego offered his dexterity and great aesthetic sensibilities to the execution.

Apart from the close collaboration with Alberto, Diego exercised his skills as a sculptor by collaborating with a local funerary sculptor, and later with Georges Braque. When Alberto returned to Italy during the war, Diego remained in Paris to man the workshop. During this period he became more conscious of his talent and did an internship at a foundry where he was called ‘the star of patina’. After the war, Alberto and Diego resumed their work together, but each with their own personal mark. Diego developed his own creations; pieces of textured bronze furniture such as tables, chairs, consoles, lighting and bookshelves. Each work showed a strong architectural and balanced design, often combined with graceful sculpted animals or foliage, the introduction to his unique poetic world. Soon he was commissioned by Alberto’s dealers or private collectors who recognised his talent: Pierre Matisse, Marguerite and Aimé Maeght, the movie producer Raoul Lévy and the couturier Hubert de Givenchy… After his brother's death in 1965, Diego continued increasingly to explore his expressive talents. His furniture items became fully-fledged sculptures, which are still admired and sought after today.

A Question of Style
The table frame by Diego Giacometti is wonderfully versatile, symetrical and very sculptural in form and even more so because of the relief on the bronze surface. His work clearly reflects his brother’s influence. Anyone who is familiar with the tall, emaciated figures of Alberto’s work will see the genetic link. Diego Giacometti’s method was to make textured plaster models with his hands.The models were then cast in bronze and Diego patinated them himself.

Straight from the Source
The table was bought directly from Diego Giacometti by the family of the present owner, close to many artists of their time such as Alberto and Diego Giacometti, Germaine Richier, Fernand Léger and César.