Arnaldo Pomodoro

Arnaldo Pomodoro is an Italian sculptor and installation artist, born on June 23, 1926, in Morciano, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He is best known for his geometric bronze sculptures which often feature spheres with intricate, labyrinthine patterns and textures. Pomodoro began his career as a stage designer but shifted his focus to sculpture in the 1950s. His work is characterized by a fascination with the tension between the internal and external, the visible and the hidden. 

Pomodoro's sculptures often resemble ancient artifacts, with surfaces that suggest corrosion and decay, yet they are meticulously crafted and polished. His most famous series, the Sfera series, began in the 1960s and includes large-scale public installations of massive bronze spheres, some of which are split or fractured to reveal complex inner worlds. One of the most notable pieces from this series is Sfera con Sfera, which can be found at the Vatican Museums, the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.

Throughout his career, Pomodoro has received numerous awards, including the International Prize for Sculpture at the Venice Biennale in 1964. His work has been exhibited worldwide and is held in the collections of many major museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Pomodoro continues to work and exhibit, and his sculptures remain a significant contribution to the field of contemporary art.