The Body as Matter: Giacometti, Nauman, Picasso

This book was published on the occasion of The Body as Matter: Giacometti Nauman Picasso at Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London, an exhibition of work by Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966), Bruce Nauman (b. 1941), and Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), curated by Richard Calvocoressi. This was the first exhibition to juxtapose sculptures by the three groundbreaking artists—all of whom undertook radical investigations of the human body as they redefined their discipline. Picasso’s move away from a naturalistic representation of the human form was taken up by Giacometti, whose elongated figures draw attention to material and process, while Nauman often uses his own body as subject. Among the classic works included were Giacometti’s La Jambe (1958), Nauman’s Henry Moore Bound to Fail (1967/1970), and Picasso’s La Femme enceinte. Etat I (1950).

The book includes color plates illustrating the more than fifty works in the exhibition, along with details and installation photography. It begins with an introduction by Calvocoressi outlining the artists’ shared interests in and approaches to their subject, followed by two conversations. In the first of these, Calvocoressi, Antony Gormley, and Rachel Whiteread consider aspects of human corporeality alongside issues of process, materials, and space. In the second, Cécile Debray, Paloma Picasso, and Serena Cattaneo Adorno discuss materiality, scale, and the creative potential of play.