Arnaldo Pomodoro

Arnaldo Pomodoro was born in 1926 in the Montefeltro region and spent his childhood and early education in Pesaro. Since 1954, he has lived and worked in Milan. His works from the 1950s feature high-reliefs with a unique “writing” in sculpture, an innovative and distinctive language that was interpreted in various ways by leading critics. In the early 1960s, Pomodoro began exploring three-dimensionality and developed a focus on solid geometric forms: spheres, discs, pyramids, cones, columns, and cubes—made of polished bronze—are all pierced, corroded, and hollowed out, in an attempt to break their perfection and reveal the hidden mystery within. The contrast between the smooth perfection of the geometric form and the chaotic complexity of its interior became a recurring theme in Pomodoro’s work. In 1966, he was commissioned to create a 3.5-meter-diameter sphere for the Montreal Expo, which is now located in front of the Farnesina in Rome. This marked his transition to large-scale works. This piece was the first of many public artworks that Pomodoro created for prominent and symbolic spaces: in city squares across the world (Milan, Copenhagen, Brisbane, Los Angeles, Darmstadt), in front of Trinity College at the University of Dublin, at Mills College in California, in the Vatican Museums’ Pine Courtyard, in front of the United Nations in New York, at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters, and at major sculpture parks such as the Pepsi-Cola park in Purchase and the Storm King Art Center near New York City. Pomodoro has also created numerous environmental works. These include the 1973 *Progetto per il Cimitero di Urbino*, a project to be carved into the Urbino hillside that was never realized due to local controversies, and *Moto terreno solare*, a long cement mural for the Minoa Symposium in Marsala. He also created *Sala d’Armi* for the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan, the environmental installation *Ingresso nel Labirinto*, dedicated to the Epic of Gilgamesh, and *Carapace*, a winery in Bevagna for the Lunelli family. His major retrospective exhibitions have solidified his reputation as one of the most significant contemporary artists. Pomodoro’s works have been shown in traveling exhibitions across Europe, the United States, Australia, and Japan. From the start of his career, he also dedicated himself to scenography, creating “spectacular machines” for many theater productions, ranging from Greek tragedies to operas, contemporary theater, and music. Pomodoro has taught at American universities, including Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, and Mills College. Over the years, he has received numerous awards and honors, including the Sculpture Prize at the São Paulo Biennale (1963) and the Venice Biennale (1964). In 1990, he was awarded the *Praemium Imperiale* for Sculpture by the Japan Art Association, and in 2008, the Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award by the International Sculpture Center in San Francisco. In 1992, Trinity College, Dublin, awarded him an honorary degree in Letters, and in 2001, the University of Ancona conferred upon him an honorary degree in Civil Engineering and Architecture.