Fendi to Unveil Arnaldo Pomodoro Exhibit in Rome
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MILAN — Fendi is shining the light on one of Italy’s most revered contemporary sculptors, internationally known for his geometric bronze works.
The luxury goods brand will inaugurate on Friday the exhibition “Arnaldo Pomodoro. Il Grande Teatro delle Civiltà [Arnaldo Pomodoro. The Great Theater of Civilizations].”
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Running until Oct. 1, the exhibit, curated by Lorenzo Respi and Andrea Viliani in collaboration with Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, will be staged at Fendi’s Rome headquarters, the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. It is also the first step in a multiyear partnership with the foundation.
Conceived for both the indoor and outdoor spaces of the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, the exhibition spans more than 70 years of the artist’s career, displaying around 30 artworks by Pomodoro created between the late 1950s and 2021. There will also be series of archival materials, from photographs and documents to sketches and drawings, many shown publicly for the first time.
“We started talking in his atelier on the Navigli [Milan’s interconnected canals] and we thought it would be more ambitious and more beautiful to display his works at our headquarters in Rome, a city where there are several of his art pieces,” said Serge Brunschwig, chairman and chief executive officer of Fendi.
Examples in Rome include the “Sfera Grande [Big Sphere]” placed in front of the Farnesina ministry of foreign affairs, the “Novecento” obelisk, and the bronze sculpture at the Vatican’s Courtyard of the Pinecone.
The partnership is meant to celebrate art “as an instrument combining respect for heritage, attention to widespread knowledge of artistic languages and search for new forms of collaboration from the perspective of sustainability and innovation,” Brunschwig said.
The executive noted that it is also “the natural evolution” of the relationship that was established between Fendi and the foundation in 2013, when the former established its Milan headquarters in the space on Via Solari formerly occupied by the foundation.
That building displays the environmental artwork “Entrance to the Labyrinth,” among others, which Fendi has helped preserve and made available to the public over the past decade.
Pomodoro, now aged 96, reinterpreted Fendi’s signature Peekaboo bag, first created by Silvia Venturini Fendi in 2008. This is part of the global Canvas Peekaboo project that, starting from 2014, has involved artists and designers, from Sarah Coleman to Lukas Gschwandtner and Kueng Caputo.
Asked what personally attracted him to Pomodoro’s art, Brunschwig said that “works where you can glimpse at what is inside, losing yourself in those fractures, is very intriguing. They are super interesting and mysterious, perfect on the outside but you can see inside them — like the Peekaboo,” he said with a chuckle.
In fact, Pomodoro reinterpreting the Peekaboo “taking the time to work on the bag, honors us,” he emphasized.
Brunschwig highlighted how the sheer size of Fendi’s headquarters exalts the “monumental” works of Pomodoro, “who has shaped the art world for decades and we are so lucky to be able to still be working with him. We are very proud of this.”
The executive observed that the goal of the Palazzo della Civiltà was from Day One “to be open to the city,” and that it has staged exhibitions over the years on Giuseppe Penone, for example, or set up the “Fendi Studios” exhibit paying tribute to the movies and the relationship with the brand.
As part of the exhibition, four sculptures will be placed at each of the external corners of the striking Modernist and Rationalist building, dubbed the Square Colosseum: They are the “Forme del mito [Shapes of the myth]” dating back to 1983, which includes “Il potere [The power or Agamennon]”; “L’ambizione [The ambition, or Clitennestra]”; “La macchina [The machine, or Egisto],” and “La profezia [The prophecy or Cassandra],” taken from the scenic machines that were created for the series of theatrical performances inspired by Aeschylus’ “Orestes” by the artist Emilio Isgrò.
In the entrance hall, there are two works created by the artist for two theatrical shows, produced with sculptural materials paired with raffia and fabric.
Other examples include “Le battaglie [The battles]” from 1995, in black, and “Movimento in piena aria e nel profondo [Movement in full air and in depth]” from 1996-1997, in white, which reflect Pomodoro’s use of materials such as tangles of rope, wedges and bolts.
The latter is composed of a double curve referring to the large celestial and terrestrial spaces.
“The Tracce [The traces]” series from 1998 is composed of 21 white, black and rust-colored reliefs in chalk.
The itinerary concludes on the third-floor arcade with “Osso di sepia [cuttlefish bone],” a symbolic matrix of all the artist’s works, who actually began his sculptural experimentation by carving into cuttlefish bone.
The exhibition is accompanied by a monographic catalogue published by Skira which will be available in Fendi boutiques and at the exhibition space.
Fendi is offering free entry to visitors.
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