L'Homme qui marche I
Cast bronze sculpture by Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti from 1960.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
L'Homme qui marche I (pronounced [lɔm ki maʁʃ œ̃]; also called The Walking Man I or The Striding Man I, literally "The Man who Walks I") is a bronze sculpture by Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti, cast in 1960. The work exists in six numbered editions and four artist proofs. It shows a solitary man stepping forward, arms hanging at his sides. Critics have described the figure as both a humble depiction of an ordinary person and a powerful emblem of humanity. Giacometti himself saw the natural balance of the stride as a symbol of human vitality.
In 1960, Giacometti was invited to create bronze figures for the Chase Manhattan Plaza in New York. He produced several sculptures, including this one, but struggled with the commission and eventually abandoned it. That same year, he cast the life-sized L'Homme qui marche I in bronze and displayed it at the 1961 Venice Biennale. The piece dates from the peak of Giacometti’s mature period and represents the culmination of his exploration of the human form. It is regarded as one of his most significant works and a landmark of Modern art.
The first edition of the sculpture is not housed at the Fondation Maeght; the Fondation Maeght holds a later cast or a different version. The second edition belongs to a private collector. Other casts are located at the Kunsthaus Zürich in Switzerland; the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands; the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York; the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in Iran; and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art near Copenhagen, Denmark.
On 3 February 2010, the second edition was auctioned at Sotheby’s in London. It had been owned by the German banking group Commerzbank, which acquired it after taking over Dresdner Bank in 2009. This was the first time in two decades that a life-sized Giacometti walking figure had appeared at auction. The piece was expected to sell for between £12 million and £18 million, but within eight minutes it was purchased by an anonymous bidder later identified as the Qatar Museums Authority for £58 million. With the buyer’s premium, the final price was £65 million (about US$103.7 million, or $153.1 million in 2025). That sum broke Giacometti’s previous auction record of $27.5 million, set in 2008 by *Grande Femme Debout II*, and also surpassed the record for the most expensive sculpture sold at public auction, which had been held by the 5,
- year_created
- 1960
Lore & Background
In 1960, Giacometti was asked to be part of a public project by the Chase Manhattan Plaza in New York to plant bronze figures outside the building. He created several sculptures, with L'Homme qui marche I among them. Giacometti struggled with the project and eventually abandoned the commission. However, in 1960 he cast the life-size work in bronze and exhibited it at the Venice Biennale in 1961. L'Homme qui marche I was created at the high point of Giacometti's mature period and represents the pinnacle of his experimentation with the human form.
Reader's Guide
The bronze sculpture depicts a lone man in mid-stride with his arms hanging at his side. The piece is described as 'both a humble image of an ordinary man, and a potent symbol of humanity'. Giacometti is said to have viewed 'the natural equilibrium of the stride' as a symbol of 'man's own life force'. Edition number one is located at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Edition number two belongs in a private collection. Other casts include those at the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul, Alpes-Maritimes, the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in Iran, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art near Copenhagen, Denmark.
Did You Know?
- On 3 February 2010, edition number two sold at Sotheby's in London for £65 million (US$103.7 million), becoming the most expensive sculpture sold at auction at that time.
- The sculpture was sold by German banking group Commerzbank, and the buyer was an anonymous bidder later identified as the Qatar Museums Authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created L'Homme qui marche I and when was it made?
The sculpture is the work of Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti, one of the most celebrated sculptors of the twentieth century. It was cast in bronze in 1961.
What does L'Homme qui marche I actually look like?
The piece shows a single, elongated male figure caught mid-step, with his arms dangling loosely at his sides. The thin, almost fragile silhouette conveys a sense of quiet forward motion against empty space.
How many editions of L'Homme qui marche I exist?
The bronze was produced in six numbered editions along with four artist proofs, keeping the total number of physical casts quite limited.
What does L'Homme qui marche I symbolize according to critics and Giacometti himself?
Art commentators have described the figure as simultaneously a humble portrait of an ordinary person and a broader emblem of the human condition. Giacometti himself pointed to the natural equilibrium of the walking stride as a sign of human vitality.
What material is L'Homme qui marche I made from?
The work is a cast bronze sculpture, so the slender, almost translucent-looking form actually carries considerable metallic weight. This contrast between visual delicacy and physical solidity is a hallmark of Giacometti's late sculptural practice.
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