Gió Pomodoro

Copy of receipt from Martha Jackson Gallery, New York dated December 19, 1969 enclosed.

The Italian artist Gió Pomodoro’s works are found all over the world today. To the general public he is famous for the monumental outdoor sculptures that he made mainly towards the end of his life.
His major international breakthrough came in 1956, when he participated in the Venice Biennale.
Pomodoro was born in Orciano di Pesaro in 1930, where he completed his higher education at a technical college. After moving to Milan in 1954, he exhibited his work together with his brother, Arnaldo, who is also a famous sculptor (see “Radar no 2” in the catalogue).

This multi-talented artist was not only a sculptor but also designed jewellery. His first tentative works, however, were clay reliefs made to be cast in metal. Eventually, this led to experiments with mixed materials, where wood, plaster and textiles were used in the first sketches to create fascinating forms that were then cast in metal for the final composition. In the course of his artistic career he tried using a wide variety of metals. His early works were made of materials such as lead, iron and copper, but also of precious metals such as gold and silver.

His abstract works were exhibited in various places, including the Cardazzo galleries in Milan and Venice, legendary venues on the Italian 1950s and 60s contemporary art scene. At his very first exhibitions at Galleria Numero in Florence and Galleria Montenapoleone in Milan, the visitors’ curiosity was stirred by their encounter with his singular compositions. In 1959, his work was featured at Documenta II in Kassel, Germany.

In the 1960s, Pomodoro created a number of sculptures with partially rounded, billowing surfaces, as in the current item in the catalogue “Guscio II” (also known as “Shell”) from 1966. By then, he was already established as a contemporary artist and belonged to the Italian avant-garde.
Characteristic of all Pomodoro’s works is his intention that they are linked, that there should be a sense of commonality. Pomodoro has said: “Each of my works is tied to the previous and following one, even if this does not always happen in a linear route.” (From an interview in International Sculpture Center, Vol 21, no 3, 2002.)

Since the 1970s and onwards, he worked mainly in stone for his larger compositions, but bronze was the only metal he continued to use throughout his life.

There is a tension and energy in his works, which are often replete with symbolic significances, giving rise to contemplation. An inherent power, in both material and style, characterises most of his output throughout his prolific career. “Surfaces under tension” became a recurring theme in his oeuvre from the later decades. His monumental outdoor works, which often consist of several parts in one and the same place, often verge on architecture, and he focused not only on the work itself but on the spaces in between and the entire setting, which were just as important to him.

The year he died, in 2002, Pomodoro was honoured with the International Sculpture Center’s
Outstanding Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award, one of many prizes he attained for his innovative artistic creations. Today, his works are found in museums all over the world.