Estate of Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., Hydra, Greece; Estate of Paul Mayen, Hydra, Greece
Literature
Daniel Marchesseau, Diego Giacometti, Paris, 1986, p. 169
Catalogue Essay
Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. kept the present lamp on a side table in the bedroom of his Hydra, Greece residence. An avid reader, Mr. Kaufmann cut one side of the shade to expose the bulb, so he could read with direct light.
In 1935 Diego Giacometti took a holiday in Stampa, the Swiss town in which he grew up. The trip marked one of the first periods in which he was separated from his brother Alberto Giacometti, and perhaps in connection with having removed himself from the shadow of his brother's career, he began his first animal sculptures. It was shortly after this trip that the younger Giacometti also started making furniture, after patrons admired the stands he was crafting for his brother's sculptures. Diego modeled his maquettes in plaster (as opposed to clay or wax, which was the more common choice for sculptors) and cast his furniture in bronze, a departure from most metal furniture at the time, which was cast in iron. Illustrious clients included the Maeght and Noailles families as well as the decorator Jean-Michel Frank, who commissioned Alberto (assisted by Diego) to create plaster lighting and fireplace accessories.