Question 1

True or false: Alberto Giacometti was born in Borgonovo, Switzerland, in 1901.

Accepted Answer

True. Alberto Giacometti was born on October 10, 1901, in Borgonovo, a hamlet near Stampa, Switzerland. His father was also a painter.

Question 2

True or false: Alberto Giacometti was awarded a Nobel Prize for his contributions to art.

Accepted Answer

False. There is no Nobel Prize for art. Alberto Giacometti received other honors but never a Nobel—his fame rests on his sculptural achievements.

Question 3

True or false: Alberto Giacometti was a leading member of the Abstract Expressionist movement in New York.

Accepted Answer

False. Giacometti was associated with Surrealism and later Existentialism in Paris, not Abstract Expressionism.

Question 4

True or false: Alberto Giacometti's brother Diego served as the primary model for Alberto Giacometti for many years.

Accepted Answer

True. Diego Giacometti modeled for dozens of works, including the iconic 'Head of Diego' and many standing figures.

Question 5

True or false: Alberto Giacometti was born in Paris, France, and lived there all his life.

Accepted Answer

False. Alberto Giacometti was born in Switzerland and only later moved to Paris to study and work. He maintained his Swiss citizenship.

Question 6

True or false: Giacometti's sculptures became so tiny in the 1930s that he could fit them in matchboxes.

Accepted Answer

True. During his surrealist period, he made miniature figures (some under an inch tall) that he carried in matchboxes.

Question 7

True or false: A vision in a Parisian cafe inspired Alberto Giacometti's famous walking figures.

Accepted Answer

True. Giacometti often told the story of seeing a woman cross the street from a café, her distant, slender form sparking his iconic elongated figures.

Question 8

True or false: Alberto Giacometti's paintings are more valuable than his sculptures at auction.

Accepted Answer

False. His sculptures, especially 'L'Homme au doigt' and 'Chariot,' have sold for over $100 million, far exceeding his paintings.

Question 9

True or false: Alberto Giacometti's sculptures are famous for their extremely thin, elongated human figures.

Accepted Answer

True. After World War II, Alberto Giacometti developed his signature style of tall, slender, emaciated bronze figures that became iconic in modern sculpture.

Question 10

True or false: Alberto Giacometti was a member of the Surrealist movement in the 1930s.

Accepted Answer

True. Alberto Giacometti participated in Surrealist exhibitions and created surrealist objects like 'The Palace at 4 a.m.' before breaking away in the 1940s.

Question 11

True or false: Alberto Giacometti was primarily a painter and created very few sculptures in his career.

Accepted Answer

False. Alberto Giacometti was a sculptor first and foremost, producing hundreds of sculptures. Painting was secondary; he is famous for his thin bronze figures.

Question 12

True or false: Giacometti once designed a lamp for his brother's interior design firm.

Accepted Answer

True. In the 1930s, Giacometti created the 'Lampe de l'artiste' (Lamp of the Artist), a bronze floor lamp featuring a female figure, for the decorating business run by his brother Diego.

Question 13

True or false: In 2015, Alberto Giacometti's sculpture ‘L'Homme au doigt’ sold for over $100 million at auction.

Accepted Answer

True. Christie's New York auctioned Alberto Giacometti's ‘Pointing Man’ for $141.3 million in May 2015, then a record for any sculpture.

Question 14

True or false: Giacometti was hit by a car in 1938, fracturing his foot and causing a permanent limp.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1938, Alberto Giacometti was struck by a car in Paris, fracturing his foot. The injury led to a prolonged hospital stay and a permanent limp, influencing his later work.

Question 15

True or false: Alberto Giacometti won the Grand Prize for Sculpture at the 1962 Venice Biennale.

Accepted Answer

True. He was awarded the Grand Prize for Sculpture at the 31st Venice Biennale in 1962, a major recognition of his career.

Question 16

True or false: Alberto Giacometti carved his famous sculptures from solid gold.

Accepted Answer

False. Alberto Giacometti's sculptures are typically cast in bronze or modeled in plaster and clay. Gold was not a medium he used for his major works.

Alberto Giacometti Trivia Questions