Arnaldo Pomodoro (1926–2025), an artist of international acclaim, is widely regarded as Italy’s greatest post-war avant-garde sculptor. Born in Morciano di Romagna, Italy, he initially trained as a surveyor before dedicating himself fully to sculpture in the 1950s. In creating his iconic reliefs, Pomodoro was heavily influenced by Constantin Brancusi, the “patriarch of modern sculpture,” adapting Brancusi’s clean, smooth forms and “reverting them” to a previous, almost archaic state, imbuing his work with both modernist precision and timeless symbolism.

Pomodoro is best known for his monumental bronze spheres and architectural forms, which juxtapose polished, geometric exteriors with fractured, intricate interiors. These works explore themes of structure, time, and transformation, reflecting both technological modernity and ancient symbolism.

His contributions to sculpture are recognized worldwide through important solo exhibitions in New York, Japan, France, Brazil, Germany, and beyond. He received numerous prestigious awards, including the Carnegie Institute International Prize in 1967 and the Henry Moore Grand Prize in Japan in 1981. In addition to his sculptural work, Pomodoro is celebrated for his innovative stage designs, teaching at numerous universities, and for founding the Continuità Group in Italy in 1961–62, which advanced post-war artistic experimentation.

Over a career spanning more than six decades, Arnaldo Pomodoro established a lasting legacy as one of the twentieth century’s most important sculptors, redefining the possibilities of abstraction while maintaining a dialogue between modern innovation and archaic form.