The Giacometti Dynasty

25 November 2019

The Giacometti Centre (Centro Giacometti)  in the village of Stampa in the valley of Bergell (Val Bregaglia), canton of Grisons, tells the story of the Giacometti family.

One of the crucial factors that shaped these artists’ artistic development was the region’s cosmopolitan, open and bilingual (Italian-German) culture.

Many inhabitants worked in other countries as immigrants before returning to their region after a while.

The artistic branch of the dynasty started with Zacarria Giacometti (1856-1897) and Giovanni Stampa (1834-1913). They taught Giovanni Giacometti (1868-1933) and Augusto Giacometti (1877-1947) drawing and decorative arts.

Augusto became famous as a painter and glass artist. Giovanni changed Swiss painting at the beginning of the twentieth century.  He also inspired and educated his son Alberto Giacometti (1900-1966) and his two other sons Diego (1902-1985) and Bruno (1907-2012).

Alberto became the world star of the family: the Centro Giacometti puts Alberto’s artistic accomplishments into the perspective of his roots and the cosmopolitan Alpine region as a crossroads of cultures, languages, trade and mountain passes.

The Centre introduced the Giacometti Art Walk – a digital art history of Alberto, his family and the region.

(Further information: www.centrogiacometti.ch).