Giacometti's BUSTE DE DIEGO

On a recent visit to the auction house CHRISTIE'S at Rockefeller Center, I took a photograph of BUSTE DE DIEGO (STELE III) by ALBERTO GIACOMETTI. Created in 1957-1958, this full-size bronze piece is one of only three versions of its kind to incorporate a stele presentation, a clever device Giacometti created to ensure the bust (of his brother Diego) would meet its observers eye to eye. Of the three elevated portraits, this version is the tallest, most massive, and fully characterized work. It is estimated to be worth $4.5-6.5 million, and is among the highlights of the Evening Sale of Impressionist and Modern Art on May 6.