On June 22, 2025, Arnaldo Pomodoro, one of the most influential Italian sculptors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, passed away at his Milanese residence on the eve of his 99th birthday. Born on June 23, 1926 in Morciano di Romagna, Pomodoro began his career as a surveyor and goldsmith, and then dedicated himself passionately to sculpture, also inspired by the emotional impact of Picasso’s
“Guernica”.His artistic language is based on powerful contrast: perfect geometric surfaces – often polished bronze – engraved by breaks, fractures and internal mechanisms. Among the most famous creations are the monumental “Sphere with Sphere”, symbolic works installed in iconic places such as the Pinecone Courtyard in the Vatican Museums, the United Nations in New York and the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington. In them, Pomodoro explores universal themes: destruction and rebirth, perfection and fragility, communicating an existential tension that questions the viewer.
The artist began experimenting with spheres at the end of the 60s: in 1966 one of his large spheres was chosen for the Montreal Expo – later placed in front of the Farnesina – marking the approach to monumental language. Over the years he has also created obelisks (such as “Lancia di luce” in Terni), records, cones and environmental installations – including the Milanese labyrinth of 2011 – which reflect his search for harmony between architecture, landscape and memory.
His legacy is not limited to works in public spaces. In 1995 he founded the Arnaldo Pomodoro Foundation in Milan, a center for research, archiving and dissemination of contemporary art. Here he continues the dialogue between his poetics and new generations of artists through exhibitions, educational workshops and the Raisonné Catalogue. Collaborations with partners such as Fendi and Tenute Lunelli have strengthened the Foundation’s mission, with cultural and digital enhancement initiatives.
Recognized with prestigious awards – Biennials of São Paulo and Venice, Carnegie International, Praemium Imperiale – and awarded the title of Knight Grand Cross in 1996, Pomodoro has also taught at American universities such as Stanford, Berkeley and Mills College.
With his death, contemporary art loses a profound and experimental interpreter. His legacy – made up of tension between the perfect exterior and the complex interior – remains a powerful message: beauty is often born from contrast, fracture and reflection. His works will continue to dialogue with urban spaces and future minds, keeping alive the spirit of an artist who has made rupture a form of rebirth.
