Bust of Diego (Busto de Diego)

Artist Herbert Matter (American, born Switzerland. Born April 25, 1907, Engelberg, Swit, 1907 - 1984)

DateNegative 1960-65; print 1978

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsSupport: 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm)
Mat: 19 3/4 × 23 3/4 in. (50.2 × 60.3 cm)

ClassificationsPhotograph

Credit LineGift in Honor of Norman S. Ives, Professor, Artist, Publisher and Friend of Herbert Matter, 2021

Object number2022.9.8

DescriptionHorizontal page with image of a sculpture of human head and shoulder. Shoulder is darker and at bottom left, with head in profile rising at an angle at far right. High contrast in photo emphasizes pocked, uneven surface of sculpture. Figure’s eyes, nostrils, and mouth are seen as dark areas.
eMuseum Notes

Emuseum Notes

Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti and his brother Diego had a close relationship and were both worked out of the same studio in Paris. In the early 1950s, Alberto returned to working from a live model and Diego was a primary subject. The rugged surface of the sculpture could be said to convey the vitality of its subject, but this piece also has an otherworldly quality. Herbert Matter chose to photograph the piece from a dynamic angle, not showing us the sculpture as much as expressing his response to it.

On View

Not on view

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