Italy
1959
Bronze
4″ wide x 5″ deep x 6 1/2″ high

Luciano Minguzzi (1911-2004) was born in Bologna, Italy into a family of artists. He studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna where he trained under renowned artists Ercole Drei, Giorgio Morandi and Roberto Longhi. In 1948, he moved to Paris where he practiced as a sculptor. During this time, he created works depicting acrobats, contortionists, and children at play. In 1950 he was awarded the grand prize for sculpture at the XXV Venice Biennale. From the 1950s through the 1960s, at the beginning of the Cold War era, his sculptures changed in tone, making references to warfare. It was also at this time that he introduced bas-relief into his work, often made of bronze with iron inserts. His works can be found in the Museum of the Fabbrica del Duomo, the Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art in the Vatican, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, among others.

This sculpture is exemplary of Minguzzi’s abstract works. It offers rich texture and a compelling shape formed by a union of hard and soft angles.

Signed and numbered 5/5. Gallery Label affixed to underside Catherine Viviano Gallery, 42 East 57th Street New York 22, NY. Height including stand is 10 1/2″.