Urban Body: from sculpture to the city

Fulvio Irace, editor of the volume, and Sara Catenacci present Corpo Urbano: dalla scultura alla città, the new book (Johan & Levi, 2026) that brings together the writings of the sculptor Francesco Somaini (1926–2005), who devoted one of the most fruitful phases of his creative career to the theme of the city.

A pioneer of urban art in Italy and Europe, Somaini pursued his research by moving beyond previous artistic traditions and engaging with American architecture from the 1960s and 1970s onward—decades marked by solo and group exhibitions in New York and across the United States, as well as by the creation of monumental sculptures in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Rochester. The event is part of the Conversazioni d’arte series, curated by Johan & Levi in collaboration with Fondazione Luigi Rovati.

In collaboration with the Fondazione Francesco Somaini Scultore ETS.

Wednesday, April 15, 6:00 pm

Corpo Urbano: dalla scultura alla città

Fulvio Irace, Professor Emeritus, Politecnico di Milano

Sara Catenacci, IMT School for Advanced Studies, Lucca

Photo: Grande Carne saturnina, Middelheim Biennial, Antwerp, 1973. Photo: Erhard Wehrmann.