Arnaldo Pomodoro, an artist of international acclaim, is widely regarded as Italy’s greatest post-war avant-garde sculptor. In creating his iconic reliefs Pomodoro was heavily influenced by Constantin Brancusi, the“patriarch of modern sculpture”, adapting his clean, smooth sculptures and "reverting them" to a previous, almost “archaic state”.
Pomodoro is a globally recognized sculptor with important solo exhibitions in New York, Japan, France, Brazil, Germany, among others. He has won such prestigious awards as the Carnegie Institute International prize in 1967 and the Henry Moore Grand Prize in Japan in 1981. Along with being one of the twentieth century’s most important sculptors, Pomodoro is also renowned for his stage designs, teaching in numerous universities and being the founder of the Continuità Group in Italy in 1961-62.
A sensational and unique work in respect to the material, the incredibly detailed and sharp nature of the cast and the unparalleled patina, this work epitomizes what is finest in a Pomodoro sculpture. It is also interesting to note the negative space or “air” in this cast where we see through the fragments and elements of the work. The natural wear to the patina only enhances the character of the work as the chromed sides have worn with handling of human hands and the base has pitted with exposure to the elements. All of this gives it an added feel of a relic and a work that travels through time and continues to speak through time.
The presence of opposing vertical and horizontal forms in the piece creates a sense of slow forward motion marked by stops and starts, a kind of hesitation and then a re-commitment. Yet the movement in the sculpture is ultimately forward and then upward. Such a play on the part of Pomodoro implies a path of growth and renewal. This enigmatic work is replete with opposing forces such as conflict and reconciliation and destruction and renewal, themes the sculptor had previously explored in his bronze reliefs that incorporate his personal sculptural handwriting – the use of positive and negative spaces, puzzling symbols, suggestive marks, and cross-hatchings. Similar examples from the early 1960s are in the permanent collections of the Museo del Parco in Portofino, Milan's Museo della Permanente, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.
Felix Landau Gallery, Los Angeles, California
Private Collection, Los Angeles, California (acquired directly from the above, March 10, 1962)
Thence by descent