ROME, June 23, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, renowned 
for his huge bronze spheres, died at the weekend, a day before his 99th 
birthday, his foundation said on Monday.

Born in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna on June 23, 1926, Pomodoro 
began investigating solid geometric forms in the early 1960s.

He created monumental spheres, cones, columns and cubes in polished bronze, 
whose perfectly smooth exteriors split open to reveal interiors that were 
corroded, torn or simply hollowed out.

This "contrast between the smooth perfection of the geometric form and the 
chaotic complexity of the interior" became his trademark, the Milan-based 
foundation said on its website.

Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said on X that Pomodoro, who died at his home 
in Milan on Sunday, had "sculpted Italy's soul".

"The art world has lost one of its most influential, insightful and visionary 
voices," added foundation director Carlotta Montebello.

Pomodoro was one of Italy's most prominent contemporary artists.

He won numerous awards and taught at Stanford University, Berkley and Mills 
College in the United States. His iconic works grace public spaces the world 
over -- at the Vatican in Rome, the United Nations and the Guggenheim Museum 
in New York, UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the Universal Exhibition in 
Shanghai and Trinity College Dublin.