Giacometti's 'Walking Man I' makes Taiwan debut

賈科梅蒂的《步入永恆》首次亮相台灣

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei’s Fubon Art Museum transforms into a vibrant world of movement and imagination, where 20th-century masters explore the essence of human existence in the aftermath of World War II.

Running from Wednesday through April 20, the “Into Eternity” exhibition showcases Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti, Spanish artist Joan Miro, and American innovator Alexander Calder. Featuring 47 works, many making their Taiwan debut, the show examines how these artists redefined sculpture, movement, and the human figure.

All three artists arrived in Paris in the 1920s, challenging traditional figurative art and quickly leaving their mark on avant-garde and surrealist circles. Returning home during World War II, they deepened their engagement with sculpture, pushing the expressive and spatial possibilities of the medium.

Giacometti’s elongated figures convey the fragility and isolation of human existence. Miro’s playful sculptures and sweeping tapestries elevate the rhythms and poetry of everyday life, while Calder’s kinetic works bring space and movement to life, turning sculpture into a dynamic experience.

Among the works brought to Taipei are Giacometti’s “Homme qui marche I,” or “Walking Man I,” and “Femme debout II,” or “Standing Woman II,” created between 1959 and 1960. “Walking Man I” famously sold for NT$3.29 billion (US$104.3 million) at Sotheby’s, setting a new auction record for an artwork previously held by a Pablo Picasso, according to the NPR.

The sculpture represents a pinnacle of Giacometti’s mature period, when he explored the human figure from multiple angles. Its precarious stance reflects the constraints within which every human lives, navigating a world shaped by conflicts, natural disasters, and human-made challenges, while its faintly defined face emphasizes the universal character of humanity and invites personal identification, according to Guggenheim Bilbao.

Highlights by Miro include the painted bronze sculpture “Personnage,” making its Asian debut. Another standout is a huge textured tapestry never before shown in Taiwan.

Though Miro is best known as a painter, he also created an impressive body of sculptures. He considered sculpture a freer medium and one capable of creating a “truly phantasmagoric world of living monsters,” according to Christie's.

“Personnage” features whimsical, Neolithic-inspired form and bold curves. The work embodies Miro's vision of humankind’s “true reality.”

Calder's works on display, include “L’Empennage” and “Trois soleils jaunes.” He pioneered the “mobile,” a carefully balanced sculpture that moves with air or motors, a concept previously unseen.

While some of his works are figurative, Calder primarily embraced abstraction. His use of geometric forms and a restrained color palette creates striking, evocative shapes and installations.

All pieces come from France’s Maeght Foundation, which holds one of Europe’s largest modern art collections. Nicolas Gitton, director of the Maeght Foundation, observed that some works had spent decades outdoors, unlike most museum pieces, which are typically kept inside for preservation. “Seeing the works I know so well in Taiwan allowed me to rediscover them in a very different light — it’s enlightening,” he said.

Franck Paris, director of the French Office in Taipei, noted that while the featured artists were not French, they “found what they wanted in France,” a historic creative hub now mirrored by Taiwan’s emerging arts scene.