Omar Ronda, founder of Cracking Art, dies at 70
Omar Ronda, who founded the Cracking Art group, passed away on December 7, 2017, at the age of 70 in Biella. He was born on September 11, 1947, in Portula and created Cracking Art in 1993, focusing on recycled plastic sculptures of endangered species in urban environments. The group included prominent figures such as Renzo Nucara and Marco Veronese. A highlight of their work was the 2001 display of 500 golden turtles at the Venice Biennale. After leaving the group in 2008 to focus on personal projects, Ronda established a gallery in Biella in 1967, featuring Arte Povera artists, and collaborated with renowned individuals like Basquiat in New York. He also launched the Macist museum in Biella in 2015. His final Facebook post paid tribute to artist Tino Stefanoni.
Key facts
- Omar Ronda died on December 7, 2017, at age 70.
- He founded the Cracking Art group in 1993.
- The group created large sculptures from recycled plastic.
- In 2001, 500 golden turtles were installed at the Venice Biennale gardens.
- Ronda left Cracking Art in 2008.
- He was a gallerist from 1967, showing Arte Povera and American artists.
- He spent 1973/74 in New York, befriending Basquiat and Haring.
- In 2015, he founded the Macist museum in Biella.
Entities
Artists
- Omar Ronda
- Tino Stefanoni
- Enrico Castellani
- Renzo Nucara
- Marco Veronese
- Alex Angi
- Carlo Rizzetti
- Kicco
- William Sweetlove
- Michelangelo Pistoletto
- Jannis Kounellis
- Giuseppe Penone
- Gilberto Zorio
- Mario Merz
- Alighiero Boetti
- Giulio Paolini
- Piero Gilardi
- Mimmo Paladino
- Nicola De Maria
- Sandro Chia
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Keith Haring
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Andy Warhol
- Jim Dine
- Tom Wesselmann
- Cy Twombly
- Roy Lichtenstein
- Robert Indiana
- Claes Oldenburg
- Sol LeWitt
- Carl Andre
- Robert Morris
- Luciano Pivotto
- Gigi Piana
- Luca Beatrice
- Beppe Chiari
Institutions
- Cracking Art
- Biennale di Venezia
- Gallerie d’Italia
- Intesa Sanpaolo
- Fondazione Mazzotta
- Electa
- Artribune
- Macist (Museo d’arte contemporanea internazionale senza tendenze)
- Fondo Tempia
- Orsa Maggiore hospice
Locations
- Biella
- Italy
- Portula
- New York
- Venice
- Milan
- Ostenda
- Belgium
- Cannes
- France
- Crema
- Brussels