The Palazzo Vecchio and Museo Novecento are hosting a double exhibition titled La ricerca dell’assoluto (In Pursuit of the Absolute) and L’origine du monde (Origin of the World), which feature the works of two major 20th-century powerhouses of the art world. Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti’s figures and Lucio Fontana’s space-like sculptures grace the historic Sala delle Udienze and Sala dei Gigli rooms at the Palazzo Vecchio, where they share the same space as Donatello’s Judith and Holofernes. Museo Novecento hosts a continuation of Lucio Fontana’s works through September 13.
The dimly lit rooms of the Palazzo Vecchio create the perfect backdrop for these sculptural works. Long-limbed figures in various poses stand upon platforms accompanied by sphere-like forms. Initially performance-like, with the sculptures on the stage and the viewers as the audience, the public is welcome to walk in between and get a closer look. The direction and position of the figures make it feel as though they are in motion, like a busy sidewalk in a metropolitan city. The onlooker has the ability to be in motion alongside or in observation with the artworks, creating a sense of intimacy between the two.
Fontana’s rotund sculptures also seen throughout can be found with what appears to be puncture holes, almost as though they were put there forcefully. Considering these artifacts are made in a hard, seemingly unbreakable material, the impact of the punctures on what would otherwise be almost perfectly spherical pieces creates a stark contrast.
This part of the exhibition curated by Chiara Gatti and Sergio Risalti creates a dialogue between primordial dimensions of time and cosmological dimensions of space. This is an exhibition that is meant to juxtapose and raise questions for guests, providing a shared space between the natural world and the concept of mortality.
Giacometti – Fontana: La ricerca dell’assoluto is on at the Palazzo Vecchio Museum until June 4, 2023, while Lucio Fontana: L’origine du monde will continue at Museo Novecento until September 13, 2023.
