Giò Pomodoro biography

Giò Pomodoro, born as Giorgio Pomodoro on 17 November 1930 in Orciano di Pesaro, was a sculptor, goldsmith, engraver strong> and Italian set designer of international importance. He is considered one of the most important abstract sculptors of the 20th century. Younger brother of the sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, Giò Pomodoro dedicated his life to experimentation and the creation of works ranging from sculpture to scenography.
In 1945, the Pomodoro family moved to Pesaro, where Pomodoro attended the Technical Institute for Surveyors, graduating in 1951. Subsequently, between 1952 and 1953, he served in the military between Siena, Bologna and Florence. During his stay in Florence, he frequently visits local museums and immerses himself in the city's artistic environment. He begins to exhibit his first informal works at the Galleria Numero.
In 1954, after the death of his father, Pomodoro moved to Milan with his mother, sister and brother Arnaldo. Milan, in those years, was a very lively cultural and artistic center, which offered Pomodoro many opportunities to grow as an artist. He began to exhibit his works in various galleries, including the Galleria del Naviglio in Milan and the Galleria Il Cavallino in Venice. In 1956, he was invited to the XXVIII Venice Biennale, where he exhibited a series of silver pieces cast on cuttlefish bone dedicated to the poet Ezra Pound.
The following year, Pomodoro actively participated in the Il Gesto magazine and took part in the Arte Nucleare exhibition at the Galleria San Fedele in Milan. With artists such as Piero Dorazio, Gastone Novelli, Giulio Turcato, Tancredi, Achille Perilli, Lucio Fontanaand his brotherArnaldo, he organizes the exhibitions of the Continuità group >, presented by art critics such as Guido Ballo, Giulio Carlo Argan andFranco Russoli.
In 1959, he took part in the second edition of Documenta in Kassel, Germany, and in the Biennale of Young Artists in Paris, where he won the sculpture prize together with Anthony Caro with his artwork " Superfici in tensione ". In the 1960s, Pomodoro began to explore new forms and themes, including the works " Radiali " and " Quadrati ". He began to stay in the United States between 1966 and 1967, presenting his works at the Marlborough Gallery and the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York.
During the 1970s, Giò Pomodoro devoted himself to the creation of monumental works at his studio in Querceta di Seravezza in Versilia. In 1978, he created the scenography for Verdi's artwork " La forza del destino ", performed at the Verona Arena. In 1980, he created the scenography for Mozart's " The Magic Flute ", performed at La Fenice in Venice. He also participated in several editions of the Venice Biennale.
In the 80s and 90s, Pomodoro continued to work on important public commissions and participate in international exhibitions. In 1985, the Dabbeni Contemporary Art Studio in Lugano held a solo show of his work, and in 1987 he exhibited at the ancient Oratory of the Passion of the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio in Milan. In 1990, he created an exhibition entitled "Places carved between Reality and Utopia" in Monsummano Terme.
In the 1990s, Giò Pomodoro received numerous international awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in Contemporary Sculpture from the International Sculpture Center in 2002. His works were exhibited in prestigious international venues, such as the Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery in Tel Aviv and the Veranneman Foundation in Belgium.
Giò Pomodoro died on 21 December 2002 in his studio in Milan, after having dedicated his life to art and sculptural research. His artistic legacy continues to live on through the numerous public and private works exhibited around the world, which testify to his incessant search for forms and meanings through sculpture.
Posthumous exhibitions, such as the one at the Ragghianti Foundation in Lucca in 2003 and at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome in 2004, continue to celebrate Giò Pomodoro's contribution to contemporary art, ensuring that his work remains a source of inspiration for generations future.