Detail of the Chariot by Giacometti in the Museum of Modern Art, August 2007

Alberto Giacometti. (Swiss, 1901-1966). The Chariot. 1950. Painted bronze on wood base, 57 x 26 x 26 1/8" (144.8 x 65.8 x 66.2 cm), base 9 3/4 x 4 1/2 x 9 1/4" (24.8 x 11.5 x 23.5 cm). Purchase.

Gallery label text
2006

Rising above two high wheels recalling those of an Egyptian chariot, a filament–thin woman stands poised in precarious equilibrium, as if perpetually suspended between movement and stasis, advance and retreat. According to the artist, The Chariot was partly inspired by the memory of a "sparkling pharmacy cart" he saw when briefly hospitalized. It was also prompted by his desire to position a figure in empty space "in order to see it better and to situate it at a precise distance from the floor."

Text from: www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O:AD:...