Giuseppe Spagnulo: Mid-Career Artist Profile

Giuseppe (Pino) Spagnulo (Grottaglie, 1936 – Milan, 2016) was an Italian sculptor whose work is rooted in an anthropological connection to materials, particularly clay and iron. Born in Grottaglie, Puglia, he first engaged with clay in his father's pottery workshop. In the 1960s, his 'Terre' series moved away from figuration, using stoneware to explore form and structure. After studying at the ceramics institute in Faenza, where he met Albert Diato, Nanni Valentini, and Carlo Zauli, he moved to Milan. There he collaborated with Lucio Fontana and Arnaldo Pomodoro, whose influence deepened his sculptural practice. His work evolved from modular, conceptual forms in the 1960s–70s to a more informal, dualistic approach incorporating space and materiality. He exhibited three large corten works at the 1972 Venice Biennale. In the 1990s, he taught sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart. A 2014 exhibition at the Guggenheim Collection Venice, curated by Luca Massimo Barbero, highlighted his works on paper. A recent solo show at Galleria dello Scudo in Verona, curated by Bruno Corà, featured recent terracotta works emphasizing his enduring ties to nature and existence.