The leading sculptor in France during the postwar period was the Swiss born Alberto Giacometti who first came to notice as a member of the Surrealist group in the 1920s. After World War II he abandoned Surrealism and came to be seen by many, including Jean-Paul Sartre, as the preeminent Existentialist artist. His work typically consists of strangely elongated figures alone or in groups occupying vast tracts of empty space, and evoking a powerful sense of isolation.

Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker provide a description, historical perspective, and analysis of Alberto Giacometti’s Palace at 4am.

Alberto Giacometti, Palace at 4am, 1932, wood, glass, wire and string, (MoMA).