In memory of Eberhard W. Kornfeld (1923-2023)

In 2023 the Art Museum Graubünden is dedicating Alberto Giacometti an exhibition devoted entirely to his early years and his artistic development up until his first years in Paris.

Previous exhibitions on Alberto Giacometti’s oeuvre showed a selection of early works. They give an idea of the different aspects, that the young artist considered important at the beginning of his career. However, so far that has never been done systematically. We therefore decided to put together a compilation of his early works, and came across surprisingly many extremely interesting examples. Some of these are known from publications others have never been shown. Against this background it seems worthwhile to organize a special exhibition for the young artist Alberto Giacometti. In doing so it should become clear, what he was guided by in his development, how he freed himself from the close collaboration with his father Giovanni Giacometti and how he found his own way; but also how he observed his personal surroundings from his own perspective, drew and painted and created his first sculptures. This is also the time when he began to immerse himself in an intensive examination of works from art history, an absorption, which he continued to pursue all his life. The exhibition starts with the works of the 12 year old and lasts until 1925 that is up until his first years in Paris when Alberto Giacometti worked at the studio of the sculptor Emile-Antoine Bourdelle. A time during which he was preoccupied with the visual world of cubism.