Bruno Giacometti
Bruno Giacometti | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 August 1907 Stampa, Switzerland |
| Died | 21 March 2012 (aged 104) Zollikon, Switzerland |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse | Odette Duperret |
| Relatives | Giovanni Giacometti (father) Alberto Giacometti (brother) Diego Giacometti (brother) |
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Bruno Giacometti (24 August 1907 – 21 March 2012) was a Swiss architect, the son of the painter Giovanni Giacometti, and the brother of the artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti.[1][2] He was regarded as one of the most important post-World War II architects in Switzerland.[1][3] The Swiss pavilion for the 1952 Venice Biennale was among his best-known works.[1]
Biography
Bruno Giacometti was born on 24 August 1907 in Stampa.[2] He was the son of the painter Giovanni Giacometti and the brother of the artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti.[1][2][3] From 1922 to 1926, he attended the cantonal school in Chur.[2] He then studied architecture at ETH Zurich under Karl Moser and Otto Salvisberg from 1926 to 1930.[1][2]
In 1935, Giacometti married Odette Duperret.[2][3] In later years, the couple gave works from the Giacometti family collection to the Alberto Giacometti Foundation and several museums in Switzerland.[1] They remained married until Odette's death in 2007.[3] Giacometti lived in Zollikon,[1] where he died on 21 March 2012.[2]
Work
From 1930 to 1939, Giacometti worked in the Zurich office of the architect Karl Egender.[2][3] At Egender’s office, he worked on the Hallenstadion in 1938–1939 and was also involved in the 1939 Swiss National Exhibition in Zurich.[4] He established his own office in Zurich in 1940.[2] Shortly before opening his own office, Giacometti placed second in a 1939 competition for an extension to the cantonal school in Chur.[4] The outbreak of the Second World War disrupted the beginning of his independent career, while his lengthy military service left him able to complete only a small number of building projects.[4]
Giacometti designed a wide range of houses, residential developments, public buildings and exhibition structures, with much of his work located in the cantons of Zurich and Graubünden.[1][2] Among his post-war commissions was the Swiss pavilion for the 1952 Venice Biennale, which was among his best-known works.[1] Its understated exhibition spaces were designed to provide a setting for painting and sculpture.[4] His other principal works included the hygiene and pharmacology institutes at the University of Zurich, the schools in Brusio, Uster town hall and the Natural History Museum in Chur.[3]
Giacometti's buildings are associated with Swiss post-war modernism.[2] In Graubünden, the placement and materials of his buildings often reflected their regional setting.[2] He adopted a functional approach to architecture, treating buildings as a service to their users rather than as expressions of an architect’s individual style.[4] His designs were shaped by the circumstances of each project and the practical requirements of those who would occupy the buildings.[4] His own house in Zollikon reflected this functional approach, with a restrained modern design that placed practical requirements ahead of appearance.[1]
Gallery
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References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Architect Giacometti celebrates his centenary". SWI swissinfo. 12 September 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Dosch, Leza (19 June 2015). "Bruno Giacometti". Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (HLS) (in German). Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Architect Giacometti dies at 104". SWI swissinfo. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Bruno Giacometti (1907–2012)". Espazium (in German). 16 April 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2026.