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The retrospective exhibition of Alberto Giacometti, one of the greatest sculptors and artists of the 20th century in Yuz Museum, Shanghai will come to the end on July 31, 2016. It is not only the sole exhibition in Asia memorizing the 50th anniversary of Giacometti’s death, but also the one and only Giacometti exhibition in China.
Since its opening on March 22, 2016, the retrospective has raised a "Giacometti wave" in China and even Asia—thousands of audiences have been attracted to the museum; hundreds of Chinese and overseas media have been continuously covering the exhibition. Many audiences have left positive and enthusiastic comments for the great master’s exhibition. To encourage more audiences to appreciate the art of Giacometti and to promote the development of art and culture in the city, from July 22, 2016, Yuz Museum will offer a preferential ticket price of 75 RMB and free admission for students, aiming to continue the enchantment of Giacometti’s work, to make art museum an integral part of citizen life.
Compared with other modern art exhibitions, this show is dedicated to presenting a “contemporary” Giacometti, and to bringing this modernist master into a contemporary art space, which is converted from a huge aviation hangar, creating an open conversation with audiences in China as well as the contemporary art world. The exhibition presents over 250 masterpieces of Giacometti, which is a comprehensive overview of the artist's career spanning half a century. Meanwhile, it rebuilds Giacometti’s 23-square-meter studio in Montparnasse, Paris, and tries to investigate the intersection between him and his peering masters such as Beckett, Sartre, Jean Genet and others. It also shows “Giacometti as Seen by Photographers” and rebuilds a “Giacometti Café”, trying to reflect the culture and life of a flourishing era after war in the 20th century.
The exhibition is highly acclaimed by media domestically and internationally. It is commented as “tells this story flawlessly and raises the bar for blockbuster shows in Shanghai” (Art Asia Pacific); “will change the perspective of art for Giacometti” (The Art Newspaper UK); “the space becomes solemn and great like a temple” (The Art Newspaper China); “enough work has been done for each single statue; the curator had done much to achieve it” ( Beijing Youth Daily); “presented in a new, contemporary and experimental way” (Art Investment); “the whole exhibition is like a 'fugue', that not only takes into consideration the aesthetics, but also links to the art concept of the works and the ways of appreciating arts” (Shanghai Museum); “private museums are trying to meet those same standards. If they are successful, this would presage an optimistic future for the art scene in China and would have long-range benefits for China’s emerging artists.” (U.S. Art News)...
Giacometti Retrospective has attracted a large amount of audience in the past three months, with a daily peak of over 3000 vistors, including celebrities and leading figures of the art world, such as Gong Li, Lord Norman Foster, Takashi Murakami, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Uli Sigg. In addition, Yuz Museum has organized more than 40 public educational events since the exhibition opened. Renowned Chinese theatre performer Zhou Yemang, in cooperation with French actor Loïc Corbery, represented Jean Genet’s classic work—L’ATELIER D’ALBERTO GIACOMETTI. And many well-known art critics have given lectures about Giacometti and his time from different angles, which are much welcomed by the audience.
Besides, a full-color hardcover catalogue approaching 400 pages has been officially distributed by Yuz Museum, which serves as an invaluable documentary about Giacometti in China. It systematically reviews Giacometti's artistic career, cultural significance and historical value in 15 themes. It also includes articles of art historians Catherine Grenier, Christian Alandete, Shao Dazhen and Itzhak Goldberg, and words from Mr. Budi Tek as the project initiator.
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