Lucio Fontana was born in Argentina on February 19, 1899 In 1914, he moved to Milan, where he began practicing sculpture with his father and studying at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, later continuing at the Higher School of Applied Arts to Industry at the Sforza Castle However, he interrupted his academic path to enlist in the infantry at the outbreak of World War I
In 1922, he returned to Argentina and, deciding to continue his father’s work, fully dedicated himself to sculpture in his father’s studio, focusing primarily on cemetery sculpture Throughout the 1920s, his artistic inclination became increasingly evident as he participated in various Salons
Upon returning to Milan, he resumed his sculpture studies as a pupil of Adolfo Wildt at the Brera Academy…
With growing regularity, he began participating in exhibitions in both Italy and Argentina
In 1931, he held his first solo exhibition at the Galleria Il Milione in Milan, where he showcased numerous colored terracotta reliefs with very synthetic and elementary figurations, scratched cement panels, and some full-round female busts Over the following years, he increasingly established himself as a sculptor associated with abstractionism, participating in a succession of group and solo exhibitions
In 1946, he founded an important cultural promotion center in Buenos Aires, developing new research ideas inspired by young artists’ theories This effort culminated the following year in the publication of the first Manifesto of Spatialism, co-signed by Fontana, critic Giorgio Kaisserlian, philosopher Beniamino Joppolo, and writer Milena Milani
Between the late 1940s and early 1950s, his “spatial research” began to gain prominence in painting with the Holes series Throughout the 1950s, Fontana received numerous national and international exhibitions and recognitions, creating works and projects using a wide variety of expressive means, ranging from painting and sculpture to architecture He even presented the Spatial Manifesto for Television and participated in experimental television broadcasts
