Lecture: Your Alberto—Giacommetti at the Art Institute of Chicago

Join us for the fourth and final installment of our Your Giacometti series, exploring Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman, and printmaker Alberto Giacometti.

As part of Festival de la Francophonie and in partnership with the Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago and the Swiss Benevolent Society, the Alliance is thrilled to welcome Caitlin Haskell, Gary C. & Frances Comer Senior Curator in Modern & Contemporary Art and director of Ray Johnson Collections & Research at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Caitlin will speak about her curation of Giacometti’s work at the Art Institute and her research on his exploration of existentialism in the post-war era. She’ll then be joined in conversation by publishing consultant and translator Alta L. Price, author of Alberto Giacometti: Time Passes Too Soon—Family Letters (2025, University of Chicago Press).

Guests will enjoy a reception after the program where theyl’l be able to continue the conversation with the speakers, mix and mingle with their fellow art and history enthusiasts, and purchase a signed copy of Time Passes Too Soon—all over a complimentary glass of Swiss wine!

Doors at 6:00 pm. Program at 6:30. Please enter via 54 W Chicago Ave. Reception to follow. Non-alcoholic options will be available.

Aboutthe Speaker

Art Institute of Chicago

Caitlin Haskell serves as the Gary C. and Frances Comer Senior Curator in Modern and Contemporary Art and director of Ray Johnson Collections and Research at the Art Institute of Chicago. An expert on the art and criticism of the historical avant-gardes, she joined the Art Institute in 2018. Haskell’s recent exhibitions include René Magritte: The Fifth Season (2018), Ray Johnson c/o (2021), Cezanne (2022), Remedios Varo: Science Fictions (2023), and Ellsworth Kelly: Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance (2024). In 2024 she will open a focused show Nancy Holt’s Locator series, and in 2025 she will organize an exhibition looking at the briefly intersecting lives of Mary Reynolds and Frida Kahlo. Haskell’s 2021 catalogue Ray Johnson c/o was recognized by the New York Times and the Alice Award as one of the year’s best art books. She holds a PhD in art history from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA in art from Davidson College.

About the Moderator

Photo © Beowulf Sheehan

Alta L. Price runs a publishing consultancy specialized in literature and nonfiction texts on art, architecture, design, and culture. Alta translates from Italian and German into English, and works with experienced colleagues for many other languages. If you’re concerned about what might be lost in translation, Alta will gladly speak with you about the many things this sometimes mysterious process can help you gain.

Getting Here

The Alliance Française de Chicago is one block from the CTA Red line stop at Chicago Ave. Best bus routes are the 22 on Clark and the 66 on Chicago Ave. A Divvy station is located in front of the 54 W Chicago Ave entrance.

Parking Information

$12 for 12 hours at InterPark at 100 W Chestnut St. Validation is available at reception.

Please be advised that students, members, and attendees at cultural events or programs may be photographed, and these images may be used for marketing purposes.