Research projects

Augusto Giacometti. Catalogue Raisonné. Paintings, Murals, Mosaics and Stained Glass

Led by
Katharina Ammann (until 31.5.2020), Michael Egli, Tabea Schindler (since 1.6.2020)
Essays
Michael Egli, Denise Frey, Beat Stutzer
Partners
Denkmalpflege Graubünden, Kantonale Denkmalpflege Zürich, Vitrocentre Romont
Duration
2019–2023
Series
«Catalogues Raisonnés of Swiss Artists», vol. 31

Project description

Augusto Giacometti (1877–1947) was an outstanding Swiss painter with roots in Art Nouveau and Symbolism. He is regarded as a precursor of abstract art. Giacometti’s distinctive contribution centres on his stained glass windows and monumental murals. This systematic survey of his painted œuvre examines links between different periods in his career as well as the role played by colour and Giacometti’s interest in colour theory. Other aspects to be explored are his professional profile as an artist who combined commissions with independent output and his function as a member and chairman of the Federal Art Commission.
Almost 560 works were catalogued by scholars combined with a systematic appraisal of their provenance and of references found in literature and exhibition documents to all his paintings, murals, mosaics and stained glass windows. These findings resulted in a highly qualified analysis of his works and provide useful material of relevance to both the contextualisation of the artist and the general history of Modernism in Switzerland. 

The research was published in book form in 2023 and simultaneously on the Web for open access. The online publication (www.augusto-giacometti.ch) permits complex search functions, with links from specific works to exhibitions and publications. The catalogue is embedded within SIK-ISEA’s research portal, enabling Giacometti’s works to be studied in the broader context of artistic production during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Augusto Giacometti, The Night, 1903, tempera on canvas, 251.5 x 119 cm, Kunsthaus Zürich, on permanent loan from the Swiss Confederation, Bundesamt für Kultur, photo: Bundesamt für Kultur

Augusto Giacometti, Mountain Stream, 1904, tempera over fresco on wood, 165 x 57.5 cm, Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur, photo: Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur

Augusto Giacometti, Mountains, 1904, oil on canvas, 82.2 x 179.8 cm, Kunstmuseum Basel, photo: Kunstmuseum Basel

Augusto Giacometti, Contemplation, 1906, oil on canvas, 114 x 114 cm, Kunsthaus Zürich, photo: SIK-ISEA, Zurich

Augusto Giacometti, Self-Portrait, 1910, oil on canvas, 41 x 31 cm, Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur, photo: Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur

Augusto Giacometti, Fantasy over a Potato Blossom, 1917, oil on canvas, 132 x 135, Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur, photo: Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur

Augusto Giacometti, Starry Sky, 1917, oil on canvas, diameter 86 cm, Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur, photo: Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur

Augusto Giacometti, Painted entrance hall to Amtshaus I, 1923–1925, Zurich, photo: Stadt Zürich, Amt für Hochbauten, Fachstelle Kunst und Bau, Stefan Altenburger

Augusto Giacometti, Red and White Carnations, 1925, oil on canvas, 26.2 x 28.8 cm, private collection, photo: SIK-ISEA, Zurich

Augusto Giacometti, Paris, 1927, oil on canvas, 111 x 140 cm, private collection, photo: SIK-ISEA, Zurich

Augusto Giacometti, Marseille I, 1930, oil on canvas, 103.5 x 150.5 cm, private collection, photo: SIK-ISEA, Zurich

Augusto Giacometti, Three windows in the choir, 1933, Grossmünster, Zurich

The project was supported by:

  • Ars Rhenia Stiftung, Triesen, LI
  • Christoph Blocher, Herrliberg
  • Boner Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur, Chur
  • Claire Sturzenegger-Jeanfavre Foundation, Basel
  • Curti Foundation, La Punt-Chamues-ch
  • Evangelical Reformed Church Zurich
  • Fondazione Arnoldo Marcelliano Zendralli, Chur
  • Reto and Karin Francioni, Brugg
  • GKB Beitragsfonds, Chur
  • Goethe-Stiftung für Kunst und Wissenschaft, Zurich
  • Kulturförderung Graubünden / SWISSLOS
  • Conradin Schneider, Stäfa
  • Swiss National Foundation (SNF), Berne
  • Stadt Zürich, Beitragsfonds des Finanzdepartements
  • Stadt Chur
  • Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte SKKG, Winterthur
  • Stiftung zur Förderung von Kunst und Wissenschaft, Zizers
  • Ursula Wirz-Stiftung, Berne
  • Willi Muntwyler-Stiftung, St. Moritz
  • one foundation wishing to remain anonymous

 

Art technological research on colour change

Charakteristisch für Augusto Giacomettis Schaffen war sein brillanter Umgang mit Farbe. Dass die Brillanz auch auf Methodik beruhte, konnte Silja Meyer in einem Beitrag im 2023 von SIK-ISEA herausgegebenen Catalogue raisonné belegen. Im Interview berichtet sie von ihren Recherchen.

Wie ein Team von Kunsttechnologinnen von SIK-ISEA aufzeigte, hat sich die ursprüngliche, von Augusto Giacometti selbst gewollte Farbigkeit im Laufe der Jahre in vielen seiner Gemälde stark verändert. Von diesen Untersuchungen berichtet Karoline Beltinger, Abteilungsleiterin Kunsttechnologie bei SIK-ISEA, im Interview.

The project was supported by:

  • Swiss National Foundation (SNF), Berne

More details

Do you want to know more about your works of art and their material value?
Expertise and appraisals
Do you want to know more about your works of art and their material value?
Catalogue raisonné «Cuno Amiet. Die Gemälde 1883–1919»
Order the publication
Catalogue raisonné «Cuno Amiet. Die Gemälde 1883–1919»
Conservation and restoration
Services
Conservation and restoration