Standing Woman c. 1958 - 1964

Editor: Giacometti's bronze "Standing Woman" at the Tate Modern is striking! It feels both ancient and incredibly fragile. What do you see in this piece, beyond the immediate impression? Curator: I see a potent representation of the existential anxieties of the mid-20th century. This attenuated figure, almost spectral, speaks to the dehumanization and alienation prevalent after the World Wars. Does the figure appear resilient or defeated to you? Editor: Defeated, I think. It looks so vulnerable. Curator: Exactly. And consider Giacometti’s process – repeatedly building up and scraping away at the bronze. It mirrors the way societal structures, and even identity, were being questioned and redefined at the time. The figure persists, though scarred. It’s a statement of survival, however fragile. Editor: I never thought about the process reflecting social change. That gives me a whole new perspective. Curator: Art is a mirror to society and an act of resistance.