Text | Yishu
Image courtesy | APENFT Foundation
Content planning | Li Zixuan
Giacometti's "The Nose" exhibition in Paris
On October 7, the special exhibition of Swiss national treasure artist Alberto Giacometti, co-sponsored by TRON and APENFT Foundation, opened in Paris. The exhibition combined traditional surrealism and African sculpture art. "Pilgrims" from all over the world and the artist felt the cross-border impact of surrealism and digital art. The collection of TRON founder Justin Sun was also on display in this special exhibition.
Sun Yuchen's collection "Nose" (1964) appears in special exhibition
Sun Yuchen's collection "Nose" attracts visitors to stop and take a look
Giacometti's works are known for their unique artistic style and profound philosophical thinking. They are recognized by art connoisseurs around the world as one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. This exhibition is jointly sponsored by TRON and the APENFT Foundation in the field of digital art. TRON founder Justin Sun publicly displayed his Giacometti collection for the first time in this special exhibition.
The work "Le Nez" exhibited this time is one of Giacometti's representative works. There are only two pieces circulating in the world, one of which is collected by Justin Sun and was created in 1964. This work combines surrealism and African sculpture art, outlining his inner existential anxiety, and is highly recognizable, reflecting the pinnacle of his achievements in the field of modern art.
Giacometti x Angie Lecia The Nose. Cinematographic Sculpture
In addition, The Nose is also an outstanding example of the combination of surrealism and African sculpture art, which has had a profound impact on later artistic creation. Through the exhibition, visitors can gain a deeper understanding of Giacometti's artistic style and creative concepts, and get to know this outstanding artist better. The holding of Giacometti's "The Nose" special exhibition in Paris will further promote the dissemination and appreciation of Giacometti's works around the world, and it will be a "feast" for global visual art connoisseurs.
Annette Messerge, "Mother and Child" (left) and Giacometti, "The Nose" (right)
Giacometti's sketch of The Nose
"Loneliness, wandering, restlessness, confusion"--The philosophy left by Giacometti
The artist Giacometti and his works in this special exhibition in Paris deserve a special mention in the history of 20th century art.
As one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century, Giacometti has a unique artistic style, and his works are full of dialogues with the truth of life - loneliness, wandering, anxiety, and confusion. His sculptures are often shaped in extremely simplified forms, conveying the most profound emotions for people and vitality.
Giacometti's influence and status in the art world are obvious to all. In 1956, he represented France at the Venice Biennale and exhibited "Venetian Women", and won the first prize in the sculpture category of the Venice Biennale in 1962. Not only has he achieved world-recognized achievements in artistic creation, his works have also been respected and worshipped by collectors around the world in the auction market of later generations. Among them, "The Pointer" broke the artist's world auction record in 2015 with $141 million.
Like art lovers and collectors at the museum level around the world, Giacometti also established a foundation dedicated to promoting related artworks and ideas, and allowing more people to understand and get in touch with this outstanding artist through exhibitions, research, publications, education and other means. The Foundation actively participates in various activities in the art world, cooperates with other art institutions and museums to promote the research and display of Giacometti's works, and specially established the Giacometti Award to recognize and support artists who have made outstanding contributions in the field of sculpture.
Whether it is the profound emotions and vitality of his works that leave people to think about, or the support he provides to creators through funds, Giacometti has had a profound impact on artistic creation and made positive contributions to the development and inheritance of the art world.
From digital art to traditional art
Justin Sun, the founder of TRON, the sponsor of this special exhibition, has made frequent moves in the field of art collection in recent years, and has made achievements in everything from digital art to traditional art.
What has attracted the attention of many collectors and critics in the art field is that since March 2021, Justin Sun has successively bought well-known paintings such as Picasso's "Reclining Nude with Necklace (Marie Thérèse)", crypto artist Beeple's "Ocean Front", and Andy Warhol's "Three Self-Portraits". He also successfully bought the work "The Nose" for more than 78 million US dollars that year. In the eyes of industry insiders, the sponsorship of this special exhibition is another tribute to Master Giacometti by Justin Sun.
This post-90s Web3 leader has been actively engaged in the field of art collection and helped the development of art foundations in recent years. In addition, he has also been involved in the NFT field and has continuously promoted the common development of physical art and digital art in recent years.
As a cross-border collector and player, Justin Sun's collection concept is mainly reflected in his passion and belief in digital art. His investment in a large number of NFT artworks not only helps emerging artists grow, but also contributes to the development of the NFT art market.
Justin Sun with his Picasso work "Reclining Nude with Necklace"
As a museum-level NFT collector and supporter behind the APENFT Foundation, he firmly believes: "The rise of art in the digital age is an irreversible trend, and NFT art achievements enable artists to better protect their intellectual property rights and amplify the influence of their own creative achievements."
Justin Sun once said that he is highly optimistic about the development vision of APENFT and is willing to open up the TRON ecosystem and fully support the foundation. At the same time, he has donated artworks that he bought at a high price to the APENFT Foundation many times.
Among the many collectors who have influenced the art world in recent years, Justin Sun's collection is unique. His collection covers a wide range of works, including Chinese and Western, modern and contemporary artists. He focuses on quality and uniqueness in the selection of collections, and also pays special attention to the background and creative ideas of the artists. He believes that the development of NFT not only means a change in the art market, but also provides new opportunities for artists to break the limitations of time and space.
Digital art builds a new communication platform for art lovers around the world
Clive Bell, a famous British visual art critic, argued in his book Art: "The essential characteristic of a highly civilized society lies not in social creativity but in social appreciation."
Like art admirers around the world, Sun Yuchen said that the importance and influence of Giacometti and his work "The Nose" are immeasurable. It not only occupies an important position in the history of modern art, but also has a profound impact on people's aesthetic and philosophical thinking.
Sun Yuchen believes that this thematic exhibition will add new colors and ink to Giacometti’s artistic value and will further promote the dissemination and appreciation of Giacometti’s works around the world.
Giacometti's "The Nose" exhibition - many visitors
With the love and pursuit of art and digital technology by many international art collectors such as Justin Sun, this trend will promote the development and growth of the digital art market, while providing artists with more opportunities and platforms to allow their works to be more widely disseminated and recognized. Through new technologies, artworks can be more widely disseminated and traded around the world, and artists can interact seamlessly with global art lovers both online and offline.