Alberto Giacometti

Do you have a piece by Alberto Giacometti in your possession and would like to know its value? Our Experts will carry out a free appraisal of your piece, provide you with an estimate of the market price, and then help you to sell at the best possible price.

Status and estimation of the artist Alberto Giacometti

Price of a sculpture by Giacometti: 14,000 – 141,000,000 €.

Average estimate of a drawing: 4,000 – 373,000 €.

Status from Alberto Giacometti for the sale of a print: 190 – 12,000 €.

Price of a Giacometti light: 55,000 – 2,000,000 €.

Education and early sculptures

Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss painter and sculptor. He was born on 10 October 1901 in Borgonovo and died on 11 January 1966 in Chur.

Alberto Giacometti’s father, a painter himself, encouraged his son to take an interest in art. After high school, the young man studied at the School of Fine Arts in Geneva and then went to Paris in 1922. He discovered African and Greek art as well as Cubism at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière.

Alberto Giacometti worked from Paris, but frequently travelled to Switzerland to create in his father’s studio. The young artist presented his first works, including Femme cuillère, in 1927 at the Salon des Tuileries. From 1930 onwards he exhibited his works, which were increasingly close to the Surrealists, alongside Joan Miro and Jean Arp. In 1931 he officially joined the Parisian surrealist group, but was excluded in 1935. Yet he kept good contacts and his sculptures are still exhibited in surrealist exhibitions.

Recognition and Foundation

In the years that followed, Alberto Giacometti travelled back and forth between Geneva and Paris until 1945, after having made the Woman with the Cart. 1946 and 1947 mark a turning point in the sculptor’s style with tall, filiform figures. In January 1948, he had his first personal exhibition at the Pierre Matisse Gallery in New York. But it was in June 1951 that he was able to exhibit in Paris, at the Galerie Maeght.

Between 1961 and 1965, Alberto Giacometti received the highest honours in the art world, including the Carnegie Prize in 1961, the Guggenheim Prize in 1964, the Grand Prize for Sculpture at the Venice Biennale in 1962 and the Grand Prix International des Arts in 1965, awarded by France.

He died on 11 January 1966 in Chur hospital before being buried in his home town with his family in Borgonovo. His widow, Annette, devoted the rest of her life to protecting the sculptor’s works. She also created the Alberto and Annette Giacometti Foundation, based in Paris. In 2003, the foundation was recognised for its public interest.

On 11 May 2015, the sculpture of Man Pointing was auctioned for $141.28 million in New York City at Christie’s. It is the most expensive statue ever sold.

Recognising Alberto Giacometti’s signature

Like many artists, Giacometti did not sign all of his works. However, you will find below an example of the signatures to give you an idea. Variations of these signatures do exist, do not hesitate to contact one of our experts to formally authenticate a signature.

Appraising and selling a piece by Alberto Giacometti

If you own a piece by Alberto Giacometti or any other object, ask for a free estimate via our online form.

You will then be contacted by a member of our team of experts and auctioneers to give you an independent view of the market price of your piece. In the context of a possible sale, our specialists will also advise you on the different options available to sell your work at the best price.