NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s announced Femme qui marche (II) a rare and important early sculpture by Alberto Giacometti to be sold as a leading highlight during the 20th Century Evening Sale taking place at Rockefeller Center on Tuesday, November 19, 2024. Conceived in 1932 with modifications in 1936, Femme qui marche (II) emerges from the artist’s surrealist period, emphatically reasserting the figure in a powerful, timeless and statuesque manner. This remarkable, rare and important early iteration of the standing female subject represents the second iteration of the artist’s first full-size representation of the female figure, prefiguring what would that would become artist’s most iconic motif and the most powerful and distinctive of his mature oeuvre. The present version, cast during the artist’s lifetime and upon his request in 1961, has been held within the same distinguished family collection for 40 years, and is appearing at auction for the first time in four decades. It is estimated to achieve $20 million – 30 million.

Imogen Kerr, Co-Head of the 20th Century Evening Sale remarks: “We are deeply honored to offer Giacometti’s exquisite and rare bronze as a leading highlight in our 20th Century Evening Sale this November. Femme qui marche (II) represents a significant development in the artist’s practice from his surrealist investigations towards the monumental and iconic singular figure that would become the defining motif of his mature oeuvre. This breakthrough marks the point at which Giacometti’s sculptural language becomes refined and distilled, assuming the gravitas, elegance and solemnity that would later characterize his unique and profound contribution to 20th Century art. Emanating a quiet power, Femme qui marche II emanates a deific presence, her stature both eternal, monumental and poignant, reflecting a fusion of the ancient and the modern. Works by Giacometti from this series are very rarely seen on the market. We could not be more pleased to see how collectors respond.”

Femme qui marche (II) is an important example of Giacometti’s oeuvre which is largely focused on the female figure, and stands as a prelude to his later works representing figures in motion. There are just eight known casts of this series; two are held in esteemed public institutions, including Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice and the Baltimore Museum of Art. The present work has been in the same family collection since 1984, its first owner was Professor Serafino Corbetta, a prominent collector and doctor whose patients included the artist's mother.