Item Description
A rare small bronze plaque by Arnaldo Pomodoro, one of the most celebrated Italian sculptors of the postwar era, created in 1979 to mark the 25th anniversary of Tecno, Milan. The piece is a miniature sculptural work in its own right: a two-sided relief that carries Pomodoro’s unmistakable geometric language on both faces. Born in 1926, Pomodoro is best known for his monumental polished spheres, which split open to reveal intricate inner mechanisms, as if the perfect surface had been cracked to expose a hidden structure of gears and fissures. Works of this kind stand in public spaces around the world, including outside the Vatican, at the United Nations in New York and on the campus of Trinity College Dublin. This plaque distils the same ideas into an intimate, hand-held format, with precisely incised geometric forms that echo the tension between order and rupture at the heart of his practice. Tecno was founded in Milan in 1954 and is one of the great names of Italian design, associated with Osvaldo Borsani and a modernist vision of furniture and interiors. The commemorative plaque, issued for the company’s quarter-century in 1979, connects two key chapters of Italian 20th-century creativity: sculpture and industrial design. The plaque is incised with the artist’s signature, A. Pomodoro, stamped S. Johnson, and numbered 12/B. It was issued by Stefano Johnson of Milan, the foundry and editor responsible for producing editioned works by leading Italian artists of the period. A collectible object for enthusiasts of Pomodoro, Italian modern art and design history, the plaque can be displayed on a desk, a shelf or a wall, where its two-sided design invites closer inspection. Artist: Arnaldo Pomodoro (Italian, b. 1926) Period: 1979 Materials: Bronze Marks: Incised signature “A. Pomodoro”; stamped “S. Johnson”; numbered 12/B Edition: 12/B
