Les « places » de Giacometti ou le « monumental à rebours »

Abstract

Giacometti ’s public squares, or « monuments in reverse ». Giacometti’s first project for a monumental sculpture — Projet pour une place, 1931 — is certainly to be related to the artist’s meeting with the surrealists. From the outset, De Chirico’s paintings had an influence on the surrealists’ conception of the public square and statues. Giacometti accentuates the dialectical relationship between private and public space. Le palais à quatre heures du matin (The palace at four in the morning) of 1923, is a miniature memorial accompanied by the artist’s own commentaries inspired by his personal fantasies. Giacometti also wanted to realise sculptures on a monumental scale, as the examination of his projects, the notes in his sketchbooks and his letters to Pierre Matisse all prove. A work of reflection on the dimensions and the function of the pedestal preoccupied him for several years. His studies for an « immense pedestal » led to a transfer of monumentality from the figure to its surrounding space, the whole public square becoming one monumental pedestal. The author of this article defines two types of public « place » in Giacometti’s work. Giacometti’s projects after the last war did not come to anything, but his project for the Plaza of the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York drew the admiration of the minimalist American sculptor Donald Judd. The author sees Giacometti’s projects as models for the « oriented itineraries » or the « personal museums » of today.