Farewell to Arnaldo Pomodoro: his iconic works between Pesaro, Bologna and Romagna

Rimini, 23 June 2025 – Arnaldo Pomodoro passed away yesterday evening, Sunday 22 June, in his home in Milan, on the eve of his 99th birthday . The Foundation that bears his name announced it this morning. The sculptor, known among other things for his iconic bronze spheres , was born on 23 June 1926 in Morciano di Romagna , a town in the Rimini hinterland ( here are his most iconic works between Emilia Romagna and Marche ).

A few months after his birth, the family moved to Orciano di Pesaro , where Arnaldo spent his childhood. Here, on November 17, 1930, his brother Giorgio was born, who would later become Gio' Pomodoro, a sculptor, goldsmith, engraver and set designer, who died in Milan on December 21, 2002. In 1937, Arnaldo returned to Romagna; more precisely to Rimini, where he attended middle school and then the technical institute for surveyors. At the outbreak of the Second World War, he returned to Pesaro.

He became passionate about reading contemporary Italian and foreign authors, including Vittorini, Pavese, Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald . After the war, Pomodoro obtained a diploma in surveying and enrolled in the Faculty of Economics and Commerce at the University of Bologna. He worked at the Civil Engineering Department of Pesaro , as a consultant for the reconstruction of public buildings; between 1949 and 1952 he attended the Art Institute of Pesaro, where his strong interest in scenography was born. In the meantime, he read classical and modern theatrical texts (Aeschylus, Sartre, Brecht).

In 1953 he left Pesaro, called to work in Como for six months. In 1954 he moved to Milan and, three years later, he definitively abandoned the Civil Engineering: together with his brother Giò, he found a studio in the city of Milan. Here, the two worked together for about ten years.

Arnaldo Pomodoro: the great artist died in Milan. He was born in Romagna and lived for a long time in the Marche

Arnaldo Pomodoro's works are present in the great squares of the world : from Milan to Copenhagen, from Brisbane, Australia, to Dublin. And again: at Mills College in Oakland, California, at the headquarters of the Department of Water and Power in Los Angeles, in the courtyard of the Pigna of the Vatican Museums, in Saragossa, Spain, and in the major public collections of the world. Starting from the early Sixties, Pomodoro developed the research that made him famous, that is, on three-dimensionality and on the forms of solid geometry.

Spheres, disks, pyramids, cones, columns, cubes - in shiny bronze - are torn, corroded, dug into their innermost being, with the intent of breaking their perfection and discovering the mystery that is enclosed within. The formal contrast between the smooth perfection of the geometric form and the chaotic complexity of the interior will be, from now on, a constant in Pomodoro's production.

In addition to his works of international resonance, in 1995 Pomodoro created, on behalf of the municipality of Rimini, the “grande prua”, a funerary monument in memory of Federico Fellini (at the city’s monumental cemetery). For his Morciano , instead, he created “Colpo d'ala”, a sculpture dedicated to Umberto Boccioni, master of Futurism. The sculpture was restored in 2020 and is located in Piazza Boccioni in Morciano, in the center of a basin that acts as a mirror for the sculpture itself. The light scenography was designed by Pepi Morgia, a director and designer who has collaborated with artists of the caliber of Elton John, Genesis and Mia Martini.

In Bologna, in Piazza Verdi (the heart of the university area, in front of the Teatro Comunale), three columns made by the sculptor were placed in 1972: a rare example of modern open-air sculpture in the city. Situated in the center of one of the symbolic places of student protest, the 'totems' appeared, shortly after their installation, covered with writings and posters .

In 1996, they were transferred to the front of the Modern Art Gallery , after a careful restoration by Giovanni Morigi. Finally, in 2011, they found a permanent home in the Cavaticcio Garden , after the opening of the new Mambo (Bologna Museum of Modern Art) in the former Forno del Pane.

The name of Arnaldo Pomodoro is also engraved in the collective memory of the city of Pesaro thanks to the " Sfera Grande ", the sculpture that, since 1998, has dominated the Pesaro seafront and has become, over time, an urban icon . The work is not limited to just decorating, but questions space, matter, time. Destination of walks, photos, meetings, symbol of the visual identity of the city, that torn sphere is today also the most tangible sign of the bond between Pomodoro and Pesaro.

Among the many exhibitions that have retraced his glorious career, three were held in Romagna: in 1995 at the Rocca Malatestiana in Cesena and at the Museum of the city of Rimini, in 1997 in San Leo . The latter, moreover, still houses one of Pomodoro's works: a monument to the Fallen, consisting of a column surmounted by a metal casting, depicting a shield and an arrow. The so-called Sfera di San Leo - different from his most iconic works because it is made of white fiberglass and inspired by the Middle Ages (as is the fortress that dominates the town) - has been on loan to the 'Mario Negri' institute in Milan since 2009.

Arnaldo Pomodoro has taught in the art departments of prestigious American universities: Stanford University, University of California-Los Angeles (Ucla), Berkeley, Mills College. From 1990 to 2014 he directed the Tam (Artistic Treatment of Metals) center for the training of young people, established in collaboration with the municipality of Pietrarubbia , in the province of Pesaro-Urbino.

Still considered a precursor of one of the most interesting experiences of collective study of art, the Tam has trained a group of quality sculptors and goldsmiths . Now operating as a museum of contemporary art, it houses a collection of works that is enriched every year, created both by Pomodoro and by the many students who trained here.

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Arnaldo Pomodoro died in his home in Milan, the day before he turned 99. The Foundation that bears his name, directed by Carlotta Montebello, announced the news. The sculptor, known for his iconic bronze spheres, was born on June 23, 1926 in the Rimini area. "The world of art has lost one of its most authoritative, lucid and visionary voices. The Maestro leaves an immense legacy," says the director of the Foundation. Arnaldo was the older brother of Giorgio 'Giò' Pomodoro, his works are exhibited all over the world.