El Museo del Barrio is pleased to present artist Lucio Fontana’s 1968 Spatial Environment [Ambiente Spaziale]. Conceived in relation to the artist’s innovative Spatialism movement, starting from 1949, Fontana’s Spatial Environments are immersive environments that viewers enter and navigate. Reconstructed with the authorization of the Fondazione Lucio Fontana, the all-white, labyrinthine Spatial Environment (1968) at El Museo will follow the exact specifications of the artist’s final work in the series, originally conceived and presented at documenta 4 in Kassel, Germany shortly before Fontana’s death.

The installation coincides with the exhibition at The Met Breuer Lucio Fontana: On the Threshold (on view January 23 through April 14, 2019), curated by Iria Candela, Estrellita B. Brodsky Curator of Latin American Art in The Met’s Department of Modern and Contemporary Art.

The presentation of Lucio Fontana: Spatial Environment (1968) at El Museo del Barrio is made possible with support from Angela Westwater.

BEFORE YOUR VISIT

We invite you to enter and walk inside Spatial Environment (1968). Please read carefully and follow the guidelines below to help preserve the integrity of the installation:

• Do not touch the walls or sculptural elements.
• A maximum of two people are allowed inside at a time.
• Shoes are not allowed inside the installation.
• Please wear socks or use the disposable shoe guards available. High heels are not allowed.
• Please listen to the directions of museum guards.
• Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Anyone who wishes to access the works at all times does so at their own risk and responsibility. El Museo del Barrio shall therefore be held free of any liability and/or harm to visitors and their belongings.

Please be aware, entrance into the installation is not advisable for anyone uncomfortable in closed spaces; those who suffer from claustrophobia, panic attacks, or are susceptible to disorientation; or those with alternate physical mobility.

ABOUT LUCIO FONTANA

Argentine born Lucio Fontana (b. 1899 – d. 1968) is recognized for his explorations of energy and dimensionality, as reflected in his characteristic approach of punching holes and cutting tears into the surfaces of his paintings, sculptures, and installations. The child of Italian parents, Fontana was born in Rosario, Argentina, and moved back and forth between Italy and Argentina throughout his life. After beginning his career as a figurative sculptor in Rosario, the artist briefly studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera before returning to Argentina on the cusp of WWII. There, with Jorge Romero Brest and Jorge Larco, he founded the Altamira art school in Buenos Aires, and with his students published the 1946 Manifiesto Blanco. This document forms the incipient manifestation of Fontana’s theory of Spatialism, which he would continue to develop upon his definitive return to Italy in 1947. A well-recognized artistic figure within his lifetime, Fontana exhibited his work at the Venice Biennale and Documenta 4. His art is included in major collections throughout the globe.