Arnaldo Pomodoro

Arnaldo Pomodoro began his career as a surveyor and goldsmith in Pesaro but later moved to Milan where he became involved in the contemporary art scene and co-founded the art group Continuità. There, he connected with influential artists such as Lucio Fontana. Pomodoro quickly rose to prominence in the international art world during the 1960s and remained a significant figure in sculpture for decades.

Pomodoro is renowned for his monumental bronze sculptures that often incorporate geometric forms like spheres, discs, and pyramids. His most iconic series, Sphere Within Sphere (Sfera con Sfera), contrasts smooth, polished exteriors with intricate, fragmented interiors — symbolizing internal complexity, decay, and transformation. His work explores the tension between perfection and disruption, often representing the conflict between order and chaos, technology and nature, or surface and depth.

Among Pomodoro’s most celebrated works is Sphere Within Sphere, first created for Expo 1967 in Montreal and later installed at prestigious sites including the Vatican Museums, the United Nations Plaza in New York, and Trinity College Dublin. Another major public sculpture is Grande Disco (1972), a rotating bronze disc currently located in Piazza Meda, Milan. Throughout his career, he received numerous honors such as the São Paulo Biennale Prize (1963), Venice Biennale Prize (1964), and Carnegie Prize (1967). His work has been exhibited globally, with major retrospectives at venues like Forte di Belvedere in Florence (1984) and the Venice Biennale (1988), and continues to be promoted by the Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro.