Giacometti’s sculpture in Denmark receives its first visit from Stampa in 60 years

To the photo gallery / To the TV report

In the market town of Holstebro in western Denmark, one of Alberto Giacometti’s female figures has stood in a public square, accessible to everyone, since 1966 – the year of the artist’s death. That in itself is quite unique. But what is equally remarkable is the way Maren – as Giacometti’s work is known in Holstebro – is protected from theft. Rather than placing the sculpture in the local museum, the city council has supported a truly unusual solution: for several years now, the sculpture has been placed on a special lift built specifically for her. Every evening at 9 p.m., the lift takes her underground, where she can “sleep”, and at 10 a.m. the following morning she is returned to her place in the square.

And then there is the connection with the local community. A circle of friends – the Maren Venne-Laug association – has had music and songs composed in honour of Maren, organises uniformed civic guards who accompany her to “sleep” every day with a song, and promotes events featuring musicians and dancers.

On 5 August 2026, Bent Tilsted and the Maren Venne-Laug association, which he chairs, organised a reception for the Giacometti family, who had travelled from Val Bregaglia, at the town hall with the mayor, accompanied by a full day of cultural events. Roberta Carreri successfully moderated the event not only in Danish, but also in Italian and English.

In addition to the official speeches, a wreath of flowers was placed on Maren’s head. The large audience enjoyed musical and dance performances presented by students of the Danish dance school. The Mayor of Holstebro, Kenneth Tønning, said that Maren has now become a true symbol of the city, in a region where renewable energy has experienced strong growth and where efforts are being made to promote decentralised jobs and new residential development.

In his speech, Marco Giacometti said that Alberto Giacometti would certainly have been delighted to see so many people discovering the life contained in this single work of art, just as he himself had perceived it in his models. “No art exhibition, however important, could convey this message more powerfully than what you have created here in Holstebro,” said Marco Giacometti.

During a guided tour of the city, the guests from Stampa were introduced to Holstebro’s main cultural attractions. For more than 60 years, the city authorities have enriched buildings and public spaces with sculptures and installations, convinced that culture is simply part of the well-being of the population. Teresa Østergaard Pedersen, Director of the Collections at the Holstebro Art Museum, explained how the collection came into being and presented some of the lithographs from Paris sans fin.

The youngest member of the group from Stampa, Giovanni Giacometti, had the honour of inaugurating Holstebro’s latest cultural initiative: a space dedicated to children, located in the city’s oldest and smallest building, a former customs guardhouse. From the beginning of the next school year, two Italian actors will present a cultural programme specially designed for younger audiences.

Following an evening public concert featuring the internationally renowned flautist Jenne Thomsen and guitarist Johan Thor, Marco Giacometti became the first person ever to be appointed an honorary member of the Maren Venne-Laug association.

An honour that also carries a responsibility! Holstebro and Stampa intend to work together to develop exchanges and reciprocal visits in the future. The Giacometti Center will seek to organise a cultural trip to Holstebro and the Louisiana Museum. And perhaps soon a delegation from the Maren Venne-Laug will visit Val Bregaglia. We would be very pleased to receive them.

Marco Giacometti

 
Holstebro, 5 August 2026
Greetings by Marco Giacometti

Dear Mayor Kenneth Tønning,
Dear Members of the City Council,
Dear Bent Tilsted and the Marens Venne-Laug Association,
Dear People of Holstebro,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

My wife, my son, and I are deeply moved. We have come from Alberto Giacometti's home village to pay tribute to you. Stampa is a small village in the Swiss Bregaglia Valley, where people speak Italian. Alberto Giacomettis grandparents Alberto and Caterina Ottilia Giacometti are my ancestors.

Since 1966, the year Alberto Giacometti passed away, Maren, one of his sculptures, has stood in a public square here in Holstebro as a lasting presence. Nowhere else in the world is this the case.
And you have cared for her.
• You have fed her so that she may stay alive.
• You built her an elevator so that she would feel safe at night.
• You have composed music for her so that she may rejoice.
• And you have formed circles of friends around her so that she is surrounded by good company and never feels alone.

This year, Maren is also a guest at the Centro Giacometti in Stampa - albeit only in the form of a photograph. Yet Laurie Bischoff of the Geneva University has succeeded, through her documentary exhibition, in presenting your remarkable story in a compelling way.

Now to the origin of Maren:
From January 1942 to September 1945, Alberto Giacometti lived in Switzerland, dividing his time between Geneva and the Bregaglia Valley. In both places, his mother cared for her grandson, Silvio, whose mother, Ottilia, had died unexpectedly in 1937, just one day after giving birth.
In the years that followed, Giacometti's work underwent a profound transformation. While working first in Paris and later in Geneva, he reduced his plaster figures to an almost miniature scale, scraping away material until they seemed on the verge of disappearing.

During this period of artistic crisis and search, around 1943, he succeeded in his studio at Capolago in Maloja in creating his first larger standing female figure.
Alberto Giacometti thus created Woman on a Cart in plaster in his native valley.

The photographer Ernst Scheidegger took a photograph of the sculpture in the Capolago studio. Alberto also painted an image of the figure in oil directly onto one of the studio's wooden walls.
It is my pleasure to leave you a copy of a book containing this photograph on page 24.

In 1965, a bronze cast of the sculpture was exhibited at the Louisiana Museum under the title Kærre. Alberto and Annette Giacometti visited the exhibition. The following year, the sculpture—soon to become known as Maren—arrived in Holstebro through the Galerie Maeght.

In a television interview in 1963, Alberto Giacometti said: "Whether one makes sculptures, paints, writes, or pursues any similar activity, it is always about creating a certain permanence for what is fleeting, isn't it?"

Through your vision and your dedication, you here in Holstebro have given new life to the woman in Alberto's sculpture. She stands upon a child's toy that once belonged to Ottilia's son Silvio, and she represents all those people whom we loved so deeply but who are no longer with us.

I am certain that Alberto Giacometti would have been delighted by your Maren. He would have been happy that so many people have discovered life within this single work of art, just as he himself saw it. No art exhibition, however great, can convey this more powerfully than what you have created here in Holstebro.

Please continue to care for Maren as you always have—and never let her go.

Thank you for your wonderful welcome.

Marco Giacometti