Dimensions: object: 1130 x 165 x 346 mm
Copyright: © The Estate of Alberto Giacometti (Fondation Giacometti, Paris and ADAGP, Paris), licensed in the UK by ACS and DACS, London 2014 | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Alberto Giacometti's "Venice Woman IX," residing here at the Tate Modern, stands just over a meter tall. What is your initial take? Editor: Haunting. She’s so skeletal, yet upright—it evokes a profound sense of resilience against some unseen force. Curator: Giacometti often explored the figure's fragile existence through elongated forms, capturing a post-war anxiety. Editor: Right, and the material, likely bronze, accentuates that. It almost appears corroded, speaking to broader societal decay and the female body under duress. Curator: And yet, she remains upright, a symbolic pillar facing forward. There's a potent tension between vulnerability and fortitude. Editor: Exactly. Understanding Giacometti within the context of existentialism, she embodies the struggle for meaning in a broken world. It's powerful. Curator: It makes you wonder about enduring female representation. Editor: Absolutely, a stark reminder that art can unearth uncomfortable truths.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/giacometti-venice-woman-ix-t00238
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In the 1940s, Giacometti began to make tall, elongated figures with roughly defined outlines. These works appear to represent the human figure seen from a distance. The artist explained that when he made large figures, they seemed ‘false’. It was only when he portrayed them as ‘long and slender’ that they truly reflected his vision of humanity. Woman of Venice IX was the last of a group of standing figures of women that Giacometti made for the French Pavilion of the 1956 Venice Biennale. Gallery label, March 2025
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