Fontana: Walking the Space

Lucio Fontana’s (1899–1968) Ambienti spaziali, or Spatial Environments, were immersive installations that included neon crystal tubes, paint that glowed under black light and captivating papier-mâché sculptures. Fontana’s use of technology pushed the boundaries of art beyond the canvas to “paint” with light and invite viewers into the physical space of the work itself. In spring 2020 Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles staged the first comprehensive presentation of Ambienti spaziali in the United States, carefully reconstructing the installations as they initially appeared from 1948 to the final years of the artist’s life. This accompanying volume is edited in collaboration with Milan’s Fondazione Lucio Fontana and includes a survey of Fontana’s contributions to the evolution of conceptual art, tracing his influence on other legendary figures such as Piero Manzoni, Yayoi Kusama and James Turrell.