TRIBUTE TO SCULPTOR PABLO ATCHUGARRY – “LIFE OF MATTER” AT THE SALA DELLE COLONNE OF PALAZZO REALE IN MILAN

The exhibit of Pablo Atchugarry’s work shows 40 sculptures  in dialogue with the evocative architecture of the Sala delle Cariatidi, as a point of reflection. It is a testament to the great career of Pablo Atchugarry, a sculptor with International fame, the curriculum of exhibitions, the presence in the most important collections in the world, and his global market results, constitutes the true example of an artist who has been able to concentrate in his work the globalized taste of all collectors and experts in the world.

Of course, there have been Atchugarry exhibits all over the world, from Mansa Beach in Punta Del Este to the Avenue Princess Grace in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The marble outdoor sculptures are particularly impressive. But in Milan, the way Atchugarry’s work blends with the Sala delle Cariatidi walls and floor, it is like hand meeting glove.

As a Atchugarry experimented with many forms of art, before finding his greatest strength working with marble. He employs it as raw material in most of his works. Carrara is his favorite, the same type of marble that Michelangelo lauded as a “precious stone”.

Atchugarry moves between Northern Italy and Uruguay. While in Italy, his home is in Lecco. In Uruguay in 2007, Atchugarry opened the Fundación Pablo Atchugarry in Manantiales. According to the organization’s website, its purpose is to provide a stimulus for the arts and creating a place for artists of all disciplines to meet in an ideal location that combines nature and art. Atchugarry is so much a part of Uruguay that in Montevideo his work is displayed in public places like the Sculpture Park in the courtyard of the World Trade Center in the Pocitos neighborhood.

When we think of a sculptor, we likely still call up images of someone working with wet hands in clay, using a pottery wheel, like Patrick Swayze in ghost. But for Atchugarry, his art requires heavy lifting. Cranes are used to hoist up his marble. He then shapes it using ear phones for his ears to muffle the noise of grinder and hammer. He molds with peak, sand and drills, until a masterpiece emerges from the dust.

It has been 5 years since “Città Eterna, eterni marmi” was presented in Rome at the Museum of the Imperial Forums and Trajan’s. But Atchugarry has been too long gone from Italy and he’s now making up for lost time. with this return in Milan.