MILAN — Arnaldo Pomodoro, the sculptor best known for his poetically cracked and hallowed bronze spheres and monumental public installations, died at age 98.
“With the passing of Arnaldo Pomodoro, the art world loses one of its most authoritative, insightful and visionary voices. The Maestro leaves behind an immense legacy — not only for the power of his work, recognized internationally, but also for the coherence and depth of his thought, always capable of looking to the future with tireless creative energy,” said Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro’s executive director Carlotta Montebello on Monday. Pomodoro passed away Sunday at home on the eve of his 99th birthday, his foundation said.
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Pomodoro, a pillar of Italian art and culture, was born in 1926, in Morciano, Emilia Romagna, Italy. He was an admirer of Pablo Picasso and studied stage design while working as a goldsmith. He settled in Milan in 1954. It was there that he met artists such as Enrico Baj, Sergio Dangelo, Lucio Fontana and designer Ettore Sottsass.
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In 1966, he rose to the global stage with his first sphere for the Expo in Montreal. This was the first of a line of sculptures that would enhance important public spaces worldwide and in many major squares from Milan to Brisbane, Australia. One of his largest works ever was made for the Vatican Museums in 1990. Named “Sfera con Sfera” (Italian for Sphere within a Sphere), it measures 13 feet. Other monumental works are situated at the United Nations in New York and at the Amalienborg Square in Copenhagen.
In 2023, Fendi hosted a retrospective exhibition of the Italian sculptor’s artworks at its Roman headquarters Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, often referred to as the Square Colosseum.
In addition to his spheres, he was known for his stage design and his academic career. According to his foundation, he taught at Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley and Mills College.