Galerie Pierre, Stockholm
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 1969

Enrico Crispolti, Catalogo Ragionato di Sculture, Dipinti, Ambientazioni, Vol, II, Milan 2006, p. 849, no. 66 T 142, illustrated

"The discovery of the Cosmos is that of a new dimension, it is the Infinite: thus I pierce this canvas, which is the basis of all arts and I have created an infinite dimension, an x which for me is the basis for all Contemporary Art" (The artist cited in: Exhibition Catalogue, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Lucio Fontana, Venice/ New York, 2006, p. 19) 

In Concetto Spaziale, Attese, Fontana's tagli take their most spectacular form.  A pure pristine white ground becomes a dramatic stage upon which three tr𝓰ademark slashes play their part.  Two of almost equal length and the third curved, the three dark recesses transport the viewer into a dynamic third dimension, a sculptural space where energy seems to pound through the openings. Recalling the dynamic compositions of the Italian Futurists, Fontana here has taken the painted stroke of movement and transformed it into action. Slim and elegant in their precise positioning at regular intervals across the picture plane, the slashes catalyse the metamorphosis of the two dimensional canvas into a strikingly beautiful art-object.

 

The dynamic juxtaposition of dark incisions against a neutral white field of colour perfectly encapsulates Fontana's visual theatre at its most eloquent. The colour of virginal purity, innocence and serenity, white is also the colour of light, and therefore, of energy.  Fontana was captivated by technological advancement, and here, the emphatic white ground articulates his aim to find a visual manifestation of the progress he witnessed in the immediate post-war period.  Arresting in its dramatic chiaroscuro of dark penetrating light, Concetto Spaziale, Attese is a work of animated beauty, illuminating Fontana's groundbreaking innovations.