Eliseo Mattiacci was an Italian sculptor whose work has left an indelible mark on the landscape of contemporary art. Born on November 13, 1940, in the town of Cagli, Italy, Mattiacci was a figure who would come to be known for his large-scale abstract compositions that explored humanity's relationship with the cosmos and our place within it. His sculptures grappled with the mysteries of the universe, focusing on invisible forces such as gravity and the "living" qualities of metals, and how they interact with their environment. Mattiacci's journey as an artist began after he graduated from the Istituto di Belle Arti in Pesaro in 1959. His early years were formative, as he moved to Rome in 1964, a city that was already a major center for art, literature, theater, and cinema. It was here that Mattiacci's career would truly begin to flourish. In 1967, La Tartaruga gallery opened Mattiacci's first solo exhibition, featuring "Tubo" (Tube), a 150-meter yellow-colored, nickel-plated iron tube that challenged the perception of the environment and encouraged public interaction. The late 1960s and early 1970s were a period of significant development for Mattiacci. He became acquainted with various gallerists and artists, including those associated with the Arte Povera movement, such as Jannis Kounellis and Pino Pascali. His work was introduced to an international audience when Pino Pascali introduced him to the international gallerist and art dealer Alexandre Jolas, leading to exhibitions in Jolas' galleries in Paris and New York. Mattiacci's work was characterized by a unique approach that blended human gestures with metaphysical imagination, linking the cosmic cycle of life and death. His sculptures often comprised assemblies that suggested a new form of archaism, unseen before his time. He was inspired by cosmic-astronomical themes, which were evident in his large-scale metal works. One of his notable pieces, "Carro Solare del Montefeltro" (Montefeltro Solar Chariot), created in 1984, was exhibited at the 41st edition of the Venice Biennale in 1988. Throughout his career, Mattiacci was recognized with numerous awards and accolades. He was the recipient of the 1995 Fujisankei Hokone Open Air Museum Biennial Prize in Tokyo and the Antonio Feltrinelli Sculpture Award in Rome in 2008. His work was celebrated in a comprehensive monograph edited by Germano Celant and published by Skira in 2013. This publication remains a key reference on his work and life. Mattiacci's exhibitions were not confined to galleries and museums; his sculptures were often displayed in natural and human-designed environments, such as quarries and archaeological sites. He was fascinated by visible and invisible physical energies, such as gravity and magnetic attraction, and his work often sought to remove the weight from heavy matter, as exemplified by his exhibition at the archaeological site of the Trajan’s Markets in Rome in 2001. In 2016, the MART (Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto) and Forte di Belvedere in Florence held broad retrospective exhibitions of his work. The Forte di Belvedere exhibition in 2018 was the most extensive exhibition ever held on Mattiacci's work. In 2022, Ridinghouse, London, published the book "Eliseo Mattiacci. Sculpture in Action," edited by Lara Conte in collaboration with Studio Eliseo Mattiacci, further cementing his legacy. Eliseo Mattiacci passed away on August 25, 2019, in Fossombrone, Italy, leaving behind a body of work that continues to inspire and challenge viewers. His sculptures are a testament to his lifelong exploration of the sublime cosmos, the rhythms and geometries of the infinite universe, and the relationship between man, art, and nature. His legacy is preserved in the permanent collections of various institutions, including the Museo Arte Contemporanea di Cassino in Italy, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Zagreb Contemporary Art Museum in Croatia, ensuring that his contributions to the world of art will be appreciated for generations to come.

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