Beyond the Surface: Baselitz and Fontana in Dialogue

Beyond the Surface: Baselitz and Fontana in Dialogue
#Exhibitions
Georg Baselitz, Aurora viene, 2015, Oil on canvas, 98 × 88 cm / Lucio Fontana, Conceto Spaziale, 1957, Pastel and collage on canvas with holes, 125 × 100 cm | © Fondazione Lucio Fontana, Milano, by SIAE 2025 | Court

The dialogue that never took place between Georg Baselitz and Lucio Fontana is brought to life through an exhibition that pairs the visions of two Masters separated by time yet united in their pursuit of the origins of form. Baselitz, a key figure of contemporary German painting, presents recent sculptures and canvases where inverted figures and suspended bodies emerge from dark grounds, punctuated by central voids that suggest cosmic fissures. Fontana, pioneer of Spatialism, is represented with works from the 1930s to the 1960s, including his iconic Spatial Concepts, the Plasters and Inks series, and a rare End of God.
The juxtaposition reveals striking affinities: Fontana’s slashes and punctures, conceived as openings to infinity, resonate with Baselitz’s upside-down compositions, both dismantling the pictorial surface to access new dimensions. Though the two artists never met, they share a tension toward an art that does not describe but evokes - transforming apparent destruction into a powerful act of renewal.

Viola Canova - © 2025 ARTE.it for Bvlgari Hotel Milano