Dimensions: object: 1780 x 950 x 520 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
Editor: Alberto Giacometti’s bronze sculpture, "Man Pointing," is incredibly striking, especially given its monumental size. The texture of the bronze is so raw and tactile. What's your take on it? Curator: It's crucial to consider Giacometti's process. The rough, almost eroded, surface speaks volumes about the labor involved. How does the chosen material, bronze, shape our understanding of mass production versus individual craft? Editor: That's interesting. So, you're saying the materiality emphasizes a shift in artistic production? Curator: Precisely. Think about the socio-economic conditions influencing his choice of materials and the implications for accessibility and consumption of art during that time. The "hand-made" aesthetic is in sharp contrast to industrial fabrication. Food for thought, isn't it?
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/giacometti-man-pointing-n05939
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Giacometti has said of the making of Man Pointing: ‘I did that piece in one night between midnight and nine the next morning. That is, I’d already done it, but I demolished it and did it all over again because the men from the foundry were coming to take it away. And when they got here, the plaster was still wet.’ Highlighting the figure’s theatrical pointing gesture and its skeleton-like form, philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) described the sculpture as ‘always halfway between nothingness and being’. Gallery label, March 2025
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