The Barbican Centre in London has teamed up with the Fondation Giacometti in Paris on a series of three exhibitions due to open next year called Encounters: Giacometti. In the shows, which are to be held at the London arts complex, the artists Huma Bhabha, Mona Hatoum and Lynda Benglis will display their works alongside historic pieces by the influential, blue-chip Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti (1901-66).
The series launches on 8 May with an exhibition by Bhabha, followed by Hatoum (4 September) and Benglis in February 2026. “Each artist will show a mix of pre-existing and new artworks which resonate with and at times respond directly to Giacometti’s sculptures,” says a project statement. Celebrated works by Giacometti will be on show, including Walking Man (1960).
The exhibitions will be presented in a newly created space—formerly the home of the Barbican Brasserie restaurant—which is due to close on 31 January. “This exciting new space will be used flexibly for a range of purposes in the coming years, allowing the Barbican to continue offering a world-class experience for its visitors as it undergoes vital work on different areas of its building,” adds the statement.
The Barbican curatorial team are collaborating with Émilie Bouvard, the director of collections at the Fondation Giacometti, on the curation.
Bouvard said in a statement: “This collaboration with the Barbican Centre is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to confront Giacometti’s creation with this unique cultural space whose architecture owes so much to the 1950s.”
The Giacometti Foundation’s current 350 sq m of space—currently located within the Giacometti Institute in the 14th arrondissement of Paris—will grow to 6,000 sq m as it moves into the Gare des Invalides, on Paris’s Left Bank, in 2026. The planned Giacometti Museum & School will house around 10,000 works by the artist—his plaster and bronze sculptures, paintings and drawings—as well as a replica of his studio.
In 2015, Giacometti’s L’homme au doigt (Pointing man), was purchased for $141.3 million (with fees) at Christie’s New York, making it the most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction. The hedge fund billionaire Steven A. Cohen was reportedly the buyer of the work.
