Luciano Fabro Retrospective at Pirelli HangarBicocca: Three Works to Understand His Sculpture

A major retrospective of Luciano Fabro's work will open at Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan from October 8, 2026, to February 21, 2027. This is the first large-scale museum exhibition in Italy since his death in 2007, organized around his concept of 'Habitat'—sculptural environments meant to be physically traversed. The museum's vast industrial space, with its 30-meter-high ceilings, is ideal for his site-specific works. The article highlights three key works to understand Fabro's artistic vision. 'In-cubo' (1966) is a five-sided canvas parallelepiped sized to the artist's body, inviting viewers to enter and measure space physically. The 'Italie' series, begun in 1968, includes 'Italia d'oro' (1971), a gold Italy hung upside down, evoking political crisis, and later works like 'Italia all'asta' installed in Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples. The 'Piedi' series (1968-72), first shown at the 1972 Venice Biennale, consists of nine columns of Murano glass and silk, combining precious materials with classical forms. Fabro deliberately used gold, marble, silk, and Murano glass, challenging the common association of Arte Povera with poor materials. Critic Germano Celant described Fabro's work as 'a surprise, something unexpected,' and 'an open system of thought.' The retrospective offers a chance to engage with works that demand physical and intellectual effort.