Sculptor Mauro Staccioli dies at 80 in Milan

Mauro Staccioli, the Volterra-born sculptor known for monumental works that engage with landscape and space, died at 80 in his Milan home. After early years in Cagliari where he founded the Gruppo di Iniziativa, he moved to Milan in 1963, working as a teacher while developing a sculptural practice centered on monumentality and site-specificity. His materials—concrete, iron, brick, marble—produced geometric forms like circles, arcs, and triangles that resonate with ancestral and agricultural archetypes. At the 1978 Venice Biennale, he erected an eight-meter concrete wall blocking the Italian Pavilion, reflecting the tense political climate. Later works explored equilibrium and gravity-defying suspension. In 2015, his steel sculpture 'Ellisse' sold for over €204,000 at Dorotheum Vienna, a record. Notable public works include the 'Anello di San Martino' in Val di Cecina, for which Volterra awarded him civic merit in 2016. Funeral services will be held in Volterra on January 3, 2018.