Alberto Giacometti and Irish writer Samuel Beckett collaborated on a number of artistic projects, including the iconic skeletal tree for a re-staging of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot in 1961. The work of both these artists is widely associated with Post-war Paris and the philosophy of existentialism, with its notions of absurdity, social isolation, anxiety and meaninglessness.
In this tour, art historian Judith Wilkinson sheds light on Giacometti and Beckett’s relationship, while outlining shared aesthetic preoccupations beyond existentialism alone. This wider understanding of the two artists’ close connection helps explain their continued influence on the works of contemporary artists such as Bruce Nauman, Miroslaw Balka, Doris Salcedo and Gerard Byrne.
Find out more about the close relationship between these two modernist figures and read Wilkinson’s article When Alberto Giacometti met Samuel Beckett.
Following the tour guests are able to explore the exhibition for themselves.
This event has been provided by Tate Gallery on behalf of Tate Enterprises LTD.
