Sphere within a Sphere by Arnaldo Pomodoro

Arnaldo Pomodoro is an Italian sculptor who was born in 1926. He resides in Milan, Italy, and his work often relates to themes of recreation and self-destruction.

One of his most notable works is the Sphere within a Sphere or Sfera con Sfera sculptures. The Sphere within a Sphere consists of a series of bronze sculptures worldwide. The locations of these pieces include the Vatican Museum, Pallazo della Farnesina in Rome, Piazzale della Libertà in Florence, Trinity College Dublin, Tel Aviv University, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Hakone Open Air Museum, the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio, Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, American Enterprise Group Inc. in Iowa, Des Moines Art Center in Iowa, de Young Museum in San Francisco, University of California Berkeley, and Princeton University.

Pomodoro created the first Sphere within a Sphere sculpture in the 1960s for the Vatican Museum and measures around 13 feet, one of the tallest Sphere within a Sphere sculptures. It is located in the Pine Cone Courtyard in Vatican City. Tourists are sometimes allowed to spin the sculpture depending on the security guard.

The Sphere within Sphere sculptures all depict a large cracked bronze sphere with a smaller cracked sphere. The internal layers of the sculpture have gear or cogwheel-like shapes, which some interpret as symbolizing the complexity of society. The cracked surface is also often interpreted as representing the fragility of civilization. The roundness of the sculpture references the shape of the Earth.

When speaking about his work, Pomodoro said,

A sphere is a marvelous object, from the world of magic, wizards, whether it is of crystal or bronze, or full of water…It reflects everything around it, creating such contrasts that it sometimes is transformed, becoming invisible, leaving only its interior, tormented and eroded, full of teeth.

This quote explains why Pomodoro chose bronze as the medium, as it is reflective, and the teeth in the sculpture's interior reference the gear-like shapes.

Many people interpret these pieces as a symbol of the emergence of the New World (small sphere) from the Old World (large sphere). Others see this sculpture as referencing Christianity and the Earth; while some view the large sphere as the Earth, others view it as Christianity.

All of the Sphere within a Sphere sculptures have minor differences and vary in size, but all depict a small bronze sphere within a larger bronze sphere.¹

1. Both images are of the Sphere within a Sphere in the Vatican City.