λ TONI FABRIS (ITALIAN 1915-1989), GRANDE TENSIONE VERTICALE

λ&nbspTONI FABRIS (ITALIAN 1915-1989)
GRANDE TENSIONE VERTICALE
Bronze
Signed, dated 1960 and numbered 1/1
Height: 865cm; 340½ in.

Provenance:
Private Collection, Senator Fontana, Brianza, Italy (acquired directly from the artist)

This unique sculpture fits into a particular period of Toni Fabris' development where he transitioned from zoomorphic works to more angular pieces such as this one. The majority of Fabris' pieces were under a metre high making this particularly special.

This magnificent sculpture was originally purchased directly from the artist by Senator Fontana in Brianza, Italy for his private gardens which held a large collection of sculptures until his death in 1992.

Born in 1915 at Bassano Del Grappa, Fabris studied at the Liceo Artistico and the Accademia di Brera in Milan under Francesco Messina. After the Second World War, in which he was taken prisoner, Fabris held a one-man show at the Galleria dell'Illustrazione Italiana, in Milan. In 1962 he held his second one-man show at the Galleria Minima Toninelli, followed in 1963 with an exhibition at the Galeria D'Eendt in Amsterdam, who also sponsored him at the Salon International des Galeries Pilots, at the Museo Cantonale of Lausanne in 1963. In 1965 he was invited to show at the Kunstmuseum in Winterthur and in 1966 he was invited to show a group of his works at the 33rd Venice Biennial.