Arnaldo Pomodoro: A Life on Display at Gallerie d’Italia – Milan

Arnaldo Pomodoro: A Life

Where: Gallerie d’Italia – Milan. When: from 28 May to 18 October 2026.

To mark the artist’s centenary, Gallerie d’Italia presents an extensive retrospective tracing over sixty years of Arnaldo Pomodoro’s practice. Curated by Luca Massimo Barbero and Federico Giani, the show gathers about forty works made between the mid‑1950s and the early 2000s, highlighting recurring themes such as movement, fracture, internal tension and the tension between ideal geometric solids and the forces that disrupt them.

The itinerary unfolds across the museum’s grand Salone Scala and adjoining rooms:

• In the Salone Scala: white fiberglass sculptures from the 1960s to 2000s that investigate imbalance and motion.
• In the six adjoining salons: early Milanese works, reliefs in varied materials and the first shining full‑round solids of the 1960s that established his international reputation.
• In the lateral halls (Cantieri del Novecento): conversations with works from the Intesa Sanpaolo collections and artists linked to Pomodoro’s career.
• An archival area presents sketches, catalogues and studio material, revealing the artist’s creative process.

Highlights and key works

• Works on display include: "Cubo" (1964-67), "Movimento di crollo" (1970-71), "Giroscopio" (1986-87), "Colpo d’ala" (1984), "Rotative di Babilonia" (1991), "Cuneo con frecce" (2006).
• Early bronzes and wheels such as "Sfera n. 1" (1963) and "La ruota" (1961) marked his shift to full‑round sculpture.
• Restored monumental works in adjacent buildings: the bronze "Disco in forma di rosa del deserto n. 1" (1993-94) in the Chiostro Ottagonale, and the "Sfera grande" (1966-67) in the Giardino di Alessandro.

The exhibition offers both chronological and thematic readings of Pomodoro’s output: from early reliefs championed by Lucio Fontana, through Minimalist influences and the bronze "Papiri" rolls, to later columns and works. The installation emphasises the contrast between immaculate surfaces and the incisive internal markings that define the artist’s language.

Visitor note: the retrospective is suited to visitors interested in the development of one of Italy’s foremost 20th‑century sculptors and to those who appreciate exhibitions combining monumental pieces, studio works and archival documents.