Arguably one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Lucio Fontana began his artistic career as a sculptor. After the terrible destruction following two World Wars, Fontana asked himself, “What can I now paint?” In response, he devised the radical concept of Spatialism, turning objects into three-dimensional spaces and empty spaces into experimental environments. He soon after developed his signature slash series of monochromatic canvases punctuated with buchi (“holes”) and tagli (“cuts”), the deep lacerations in the canvases revealing a dark ground within. In addition to works that opened up canvases, Fontana was also interested in building layers on top of canvases to heighten awareness of the broader spaces of the artwork.