L'Homme qui Chavire, by Giacometti

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

Everything seems to differentiate Rubens's Drunken Silenus and l'Homme qui chavire (the falling man) of Giacometti. One is fat, the other is skinny. One is painted, the other is sculpted. One is held, the other is alone. But both refer to an eternal theme of art: the fall of man.

The Giacometti bronze was cast in six copies in 1951 by the Fonderie Rudier. It is therefore a contemporary of the great psychological and metaphysical groups like La Place (1949) or La Forêt (1950).

In a euphoric period of the art market, the serial number 2/6 was particularly noticed at Christie's on May 9, 2007. Presented on a low estimate of $ 6.5 million, this bronze reached $ 18.5 million including charges. The market thus acclaimed a masterpiece of the master, despite its small size (59 cm).

Everything in the figure indicates that the man is ready to fall: it is perched on tiptoe, head back, arms beating the air. But he will not fall, because the composition of the work is perfectly balanced with the remarkable position of the arms in an arc. This is one of the most dynamic works by Giacometti.

Now the number 5/6 is auctioned at Sotheby's in New York on November 4. The catalog tells that it is the only copy which has been painted. It is estimated $ 8 million.

The difference between the result of Christie's and Sotheby's estimate may have two reasons: a doubt (which would not seem justified) that this model is one of the masterpieces of the master, or a lack of confidence in the market (which does not seem justified either, since buyers are hungry for important works that have become so rare on today's market).

The image of this lot is shared by Luxist.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

The result is extremely interesting: sold $ 19.3 million including premium, this copy is slightly above the reference price of 2007 indicated in my article.

The seller said recently that he has taken a risk. He certainly accepted a reserve price very low, around the estimate.

He was three times right to sell now: the market lacks masterpieces because of the waiting attitude of other sellers. His bronze was a masterpiece, now confirmed as such without ambiguity. And he took the opportunity to display his artistic taste and his acceptance of risk.

Undoubtedly, only the success of well-publicized sales of works as important as this one can revive the market through very high level auctions.