Costantino Nivola

Space and the mediation of the arts

Abstract

A mediator between European and American culture, Costantino Nivola (Orari 1911 - New York 1988) transcended the limits of “pure” art, experimenting with a fruitful dialogue between painting, sculpture, and architecture. The “synthesis of the arts”, the ongoing search for the interaction between visual arts and modernist architecture, transformed his conception of space (public and private) as a participatory element. Hence the idea of art linked to society, the belief in an aesthetic capable of weaving relationships and shaping a community. Nivola’s production reveals the constant effort to understand and interpret space, revealing its unity and harmony in different configurations.