''Grande tête mince'' is a

bronze sculpture Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...

Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and printmaker. Beginning in 1922, he lived and worked mainly in Paris but regularly visited his hometown Borgonovo to see his family and ...

. The work was conceived in 1954 and cast the following year. Auctioned in 2010, ''Grande tête mince'' became one of the most valuable sculptures ever sold when it fetched $53.3 million.

Description

''Grande tête mince'' , translated as "Large thin head", has alternatively been known as ''Grande tête'' ("Large head"), ''Grande tête tranchante'' ("Large sharp head"), and Grande tête de Diego ("Large head of Diego"). The bronze sculpture is modelled on Giacometti or his brother Diego and stands at 25 1/2 inch (65 cm), making it one of the largest of his works. On the front it is signed and numbered "Alberto Giacometti 3/6" and the foundry mark "Susse Fondeur" is inscribed on the back. The sculpture is one of a mid-1950s series male busts by Giacometti, who began the piece in 1954 and cast it in early 1955.Grande tête mince

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

. Accessed 22 October 2011. The dimensions of the work are unusual, distorting the proportions to make the head tall and thin:

Auction

''Grande tête mince'' had an estimated value of $25–$35 million. It was easily surpassed when an anonymous bidder paid $53,282,500 for the sculpture, one of the highest prices ever achieved.Fernández, G
Most Expensive Sculptures Ever Sold
''theartwolf.com''. November 2010. Accessed 19 October 2011. Just three months earlier Giacometti's ''

L'Homme qui marche I ''L’Homme qui marche I'' ( ''The Walking Man I'' or ''The Striding Man I'', lit. ''The Man who Walks I'') is the name of any one of the cast bronze sculptures that comprise six numbered editions plus four artist proofs created by Swiss ...

'' had been auctioned by

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

for $104.3 million, by far the highest sale price for a sculpture and at the time the most valuable work of art.

Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

's ''

Nude, Green Leaves and Bust ''Nude, Green Leaves and Bust'' (french: Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur) is a 1932 painting by Pablo Picasso, featuring his mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter. The painting was in the personal collection of Los Angeles art collectors Sidney and France ...

'', sold as part of the same collection as ''Grande tête mince'', broke that record to become the most expensive work of art ever to be sold at auction.Property from the Collection of Mrs. Sidney F. Brody

. Accessed 22 October 2011.Picasso painting fetches record $106m at auction
''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

''. 5 May 2010. Accessed 22 October 2011. For a time ''Grande tête mince'' was the property of the

Pierre Matisse Gallery Pierre Matisse (June 13, 1900 – August 10, 1989) was a French-American art dealer active in New York City. He was the youngest child of French painter Henri Matisse. Background and early years Pierre Matisse was born in Bohain-en-Vermandois on J ...

in New York, before being sold to Sidney and Frances Brody on 19 May 1955. Sidney Brody died in 1983 and Frances retained the work until her death in November 2009.Vogel, Carol
Christie's Wins Bid to Auction $150 Million Brody Collection
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. 9 March 2010. Accessed 22 October 2011.

won the rights to auction 27 of their works of art, selling them under the title "Property from the Collection of Mrs. Sidney F. Brody" on 4 May 2010. Included in the collection were several highly valuable works, including Giacometti's ''Le Chat'' and paintings and sculptures by renowned artists Picasso,

Moore Moore may refer to: People * Moore (surname) ** List of people with surname Moore * Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador * Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior officer in the British Army * Moore Powell (died c. 1573 ...

, Modigliani,

Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is espec ...

Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Re ...

, and

Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grande tete mince Sculptures by Alberto Giacometti 1955 sculptures Bronze sculptures

Description

Auction

See also

References