Arnaldo Pomodoro: The Great Theatre of Civilizations

A lavish volume that pays tribute to one of the greatest contemporary Italian sculptors.

Published in collaboration with FENDI, the volume Arnaldo Pomodoro: The Great Theatre of Civilizations is an immersive journey into the work of the greatest Italian sculptor of the second half of the 20th century. The book itself is conceived as a sculpture. In a large format, it is made of luxurious materials and fitted within a perforated and die-cut slipcase that recalls the silhouette of the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, the iconic historic building which is both a symbol of the EUR district and the headquarters of the FENDI maison.

Arnaldo Pomodoro: The Great Theatre of Civilizations unfolds as a great “theatre” at once real and imaginary, historical and imaginative. It presents a selection of works from the late 1950s to the present day, along with largely unpublished documentary material exploring the extensive relationship between spheres of action pertaining to the visual and performing arts in the artist’s life. Here evanescent traces of possible “civilisations” emerge – archaic, ancient, modern, or simply fictional civilizations. In their interweaving, they provide a rich archaeology, constantly redefining our knowledge, imagination, conception of time and space, history and myth, and our relationship with other species and nature.

Produced in collaboration with Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro and published on the occasion of the remarkable exhibition in Rome, this book is no mere exhibition catalogue, but rather a lavish volume enriched with considerable archive material that makes it a valuable reference source on the artist’s work and an essential tool for scholars and collectors.