Untitled (Concetto Spaziale), 1966
Incised plate placed above a colored plate
21 × 17 inches | 53.3 × 43.2 cm
Lucio Fontana (b. 1899, Rosario de Santa Fé, Argentina – d. 1968, Varese, Italy) was a groundbreaking painter and sculptor whose innovative approach to installation art and spatial use has left a lasting impact on the art world. Born to Italian immigrant parents, Fontana’s early exposure to art came from watching his father, Lugio Fontana, sculpt. After moving to Italy and studying at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan under Adolfo Wildt, he began his career marked by influences from Cubism and Futurism. Fontana's work evolved significantly as he traveled between Argentina and Italy, leading to his founding of the Altamira Academy in Buenos Aires and the creation of the White Manifesto.
Fontana’s global influence was solidified in 1966 when he won the Grand Prize for painting at the Venice Biennale. His work is featured in major collections, including the Tate Gallery, National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum, and Museo Reina Sofía, among others. Fontana's career was marked by major exhibitions at institutions such as the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and Hayward Gallery.