AUGUSTO GIACOMETTI. FREIHEIT | AUFTRAG [FREEDOM | COMMISSION]
27 JANUARY–20 MAY 2024
AARGAUER KUNSTHAUS | AARAU, SWITZERLAND
Augusto Giacometti (Stampa 1877 - 1947 Zurich) Self-portrait, 1910 Oil on canvas, 35.2 × 26 cm Silesian Museum, Opava Image: Luděk Wünsch
Augusto Giacometti (1877-1947), member of the famous dynasty of painters from the village of Stampa in the Bergell mountain region, is considered to be a central figure in the evolution of Swiss art of the early 20th century. Contemporaneous with works in the tradition of Art Nouveau and Symbolism, the artist made a significant contribution to the dawn of modernism in Switzerland with his early abstractions, and helped shape the Swiss art landscape as a member and, from 1939 onwards, as President of the Federal Art Commission.
The comprehensive presentation focuses on a multi-faceted artistic personality whose oeuvre is considered to be one of the highest expressions of art from the first half of the 20th century. Co-curated by the Aargauer Kunsthaus and the Swiss Institute for Art Research (SIK-ISEA) the exhibition explores the relationship between free creation and commissioned art along the axes of "Freedom" and "Commission". It reveals the field of tension within which Augusto Giacometti spent his productive life as an artist and cultural policy maker.
