As well as perforating canvases and metal surfaces, Fontana applied his characteristic 'buchi' (holes) and 'tagli' (cuts) to ceramic surfaces and even everyday objects such as jewellery.
Two ceramics with the characteristic 'tagli' from Fontana's later period are on display in this room: a plate and this vase. This painted terracotta vase, dating from 1959, contains cuts and incisions and has a dark and a light side. It is both a sculpture and a decorative object. Fontana's signature can be seen on the upper rim.
Ceramics was an important artistic medium for Fontana until his death in 1968; he created over 500 works in this material. His late ceramics, especially those made in connection with the Albisola factory in Liguria, form an important part of his oeuvre. Although Fontana always considered himself a sculptor and not a ceramicist, clay played an important role for him. His first ceramics were created in 1930, inspired by his friendship with Tullio d'Albisola, the director of the Mazzotti ceramics workshop in Albisola. Here he produced both figurative sculptures and his 'Concetti spaziali', which include these ceramic works.
It was also in Albisola, in the 1950s, that he created the 'Nature' group of works in the form of broken spheres, which can be seen in the first exhibition room.
- Material & Technik
- Terrakotta, bemalt, Schnitte, Ritzung
- Museum
- Dierking – Galerie am Paradeplatz, Zürich
- Datierung
- 1959
- Inventarnummer
- 59 SPC 14