Alberto Giacometti

Femme égorgée [Woman with her Throat Cut]

About this artwork

This is the most macabre of Giacometti's surrealist sculptures. Although the figure appears to be dying, the shape of the body resembles a mantrap or the jaws of a fly-eating plant. The right leg folds under the abdomen to form an aggressive spiky rib cage. A tiny nick can be seen in the throat, as the figure gasps for breath. The sculpture may have been inspired by a short story about the serial killer Jack the Ripper, written by one of the artist's friends. Such a gruesome subject is often considered taboo in art, which is perhaps why the artist chose it.

Updated before 2020

see media
  • artist:
    Alberto Giacometti (1901 - 1966) Swiss
  • title:
    Femme égorgée [Woman with her Throat Cut]
  • date created:
    1932
  • materials:
    Bronze (5/5) (cast 1949)
  • measurements:
    22.00 x 87.50 x 53.50 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Purchased 1970
  • accession number:
    GMA 1109
  • gallery:
  • subject:
  • glossary:
  • artwork photographed by:
    Antonia Reeve
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Alberto Giacometti

Alberto Giacometti