Bruno De Toffoli's Spatialist Sculptures Revived in Padua Exhibition

A new exhibition at the Ex Chiesa di Sant'Agnese in Padua, curated by Luca Massimo Barbero, revives the work of Bruno De Toffoli (1913–1978), a reclusive sculptor from Treviso who reinterpreted Lucio Fontana's Spatialism. The show, restored by the Fondazione Alberto Peruzzo, features nine plaster sculptures from the 1950s from the Collezione Intesa Sanpaolo, displayed under the church's high ceilings. De Toffoli, a student of Arturo Martini, simplified sculpture to essential forms, influenced by Arp and Brancusi, and created works alternating voids and solids. The exhibition includes a rare album of 21 drawings from 1958–1965, showing his evolution. It also juxtaposes his work with artists like Vinicio Vianello, Jaroslav Serpan, Lucio Fontana, Dadamaino, Agostino Bonalumi, Roberto Crippa, and informal artists Jean-Paul Riopelle, Antoni Tàpies, and Emilio Vedova. De Toffoli debuted at Bevilacqua La Masa in 1948 and participated in the 1950 and 1953 Venice Biennales.