Arnaldo Pomodoro Sfera con Sfera Bronze Sculpture Signed Edition of 150

Artist: Arnaldo Pomodoro
Title: Sfera con Sfera
Medium: Gilt Bronze Sculpture on Acrylic Base
Size: 5 1/2" diameter x 6 3/4" high
Year: c. 1977–1985
Edition: 101/150
Inscription: Signed, numbered and inscribed "Artcurial"
Documentation: Includes a gallery certificate of authenticity

Arnaldo Pomodoro's "Sfera con Sfera" exemplifies the artist's enduring investigation into the tension between geometric perfection and internal complexity. The sculpture presents a polished gilt bronze sphere whose smooth surface is interrupted by intricate incisions and hollowed forms, revealing an engineered interior suggestive of both architectural structure and dynamic energy. Mounted on a clear acrylic base, the work translates the monumental qualities of Pomodoro's large-scale public sculptures into an intimate, collectible format.

The design of "Sfera con Sfera" reflects Pomodoro's interest in dualities: exterior and interior, order and disruption, precision and fracture. By exposing the interior complexity within a seemingly perfect sphere, the work invites reflection on the hidden mechanisms and forces underlying visible surfaces. This thematic exploration resonates with Pomodoro's broader practice, in which repeated motifs of spheres and fractured forms symbolize the tension between human construction and natural processes, stability and transformation.

Produced in collaboration with Artcurial, the European publisher with whom Pomodoro frequently worked during the late 1970s and early 1980s, this edition is number 101 of 150 and bears the artist's incised signature, edition number, and the publisher's inscription. Measuring 5 1/2 inches in diameter and 6 3/4 inches high, the sculpture maintains its original finish and is accompanied by a gallery certificate of authenticity. Through its precise craftsmanship and the interplay of exterior smoothness and interior rupture, the work embodies Pomodoro's distinctive language of fractured geometry and his contribution to postwar sculptural abstraction.

About Arnaldo Pomodoro

Arnaldo Pomodoro (b. 1926) is an Italian sculptor internationally recognized for his monumental bronze works that explore geometric form, symbolic architecture, and the tension between pristine surfaces and fractured interiors. Born in Morciano di Romagna and raised in Pesaro, Pomodoro initially trained in technical design and jewelry making—disciplines that profoundly shaped his meticulous approach to structure and surface. After relocating to Milan in the mid-1950s, he became associated with a generation of postwar Italian artists committed to rebuilding cultural identity through experimental materials and formal innovation.

Pomodoro's best-known works, including the renowned Sphere within Sphere (Sfera con Sfera) series, engage with themes of order, entropy, and underlying mechanisms. These sculptures present smooth, polished exteriors disrupted by fissures that reveal intricate internal systems, a visual vocabulary that has become central to Pomodoro's artistic identity. Installed in major public spaces worldwide—including the Vatican Museums, the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.—his monumental bronzes have positioned him as one of the leading figures in contemporary sculpture. His smaller-scale works, reliefs, stage designs, and works on paper further illustrate a sustained interest in architectural rhythm and spatial perception.

Throughout his career, Pomodoro has been featured in significant international exhibitions, including the São Paulo Biennial and the Venice Biennale, and has received numerous awards such as the International Sculpture Prize from the Carnegie Institute. In addition to his artistic practice, he has served as an influential teacher and cultural advocate, contributing to the development of arts institutions in Italy and abroad. The establishment of the Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro in Milan has ensured ongoing research, conservation, and public accessibility to his work.

Today, Arnaldo Pomodoro remains a central figure in modern and contemporary sculpture. His distinctive idiom—merging geometric precision with expressive disruption—continues to influence the field and sustain his reputation across global art markets, public collections, and academic scholarship.