Lugano
Organized by art historian Sharon Hecker, this is the first exhibition dedicated exclusively to the ceramic works of Lucio Fontana, one of the 20th century’s most innovative artists. While Fontana is widely known for his iconic, slashed canvases, Manu-Facture focuses on a lesser-known but vital part of his artistic practice: his exploration of ceramics. Beginning in Argentina in the 1920s, Fontana continued to experiment with clay throughout his life, in both Argentina and Italy.
The exhibition features over seventy works, many never before exhibited, and showcases Fontana’s creative evolution with ceramics across different cultural and historical contexts. From his early years in Argentina to his return to Fascist-era Italy and later, post-war reconstruction, the show highlights how Fontana used ceramics as a dynamic site for artistic experimentation and expression.
A free public program that explore Fontana’s visual language and artistic legacy, organized with support from Fondazione Araldi Guinetti, Vaduz, will accompany the exhibition.