Augusto Giacometti

Augusto Giacometti was born in 1877 in Stampa, in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, and died in 1947 in Zurich. He was one of the most important Swiss painters, illustrators and graphic artists.

After gaining a diploma as a teacher of drawing at the School of Applied Arts (Kunstgewerbeschule) in Zurich, he went to Paris in 1897 and studied under Eugène Grasset at the School of Decorative Arts. From 1902 onwards he lived in Florence and from 1907 he worked as a teacher for figure drawing at a private school there. In 1915 he moved to Zurich, where he became interested in the Dada movement. His works were characterised by his early colour abstractions, mosaic-like compositions in which he applied separate colours with a palette knife, and neo-impressionist painting techniques. He also designed glass windows, mosaics and posters.

Posters by Augusto Giacometti