Giuseppe Uncini

Giuseppe Uncini was born in Fabriano in 1929. He moved to Rome in 1953, in 1955 he participated in the VII Quadrienniale di Roma at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, and two years later he exhibited for the first time in Germany, at the group exhibition “Abstrakte italianische Kunst”, held in Frankfurt am Main.

the turning point in Uncini's artistic development came with the creation, in 1957-1958, of his first “Cementiarmati” (Reinforced cements), sculptures created using iron, cement and wire netting. In these works structural supports are visible, creating a contrast with their rough, compact cement surfaces which often show the veining left by their formwork. The artist is well known also for “Ferrocementi” (Iron-Cements), which he created from 1962 to 1965, in which the cement is so smooth it practically loses its material quality. Uncini’s artistic research continued with other series such as Strutturespazio (Space structures), created in 1965, which were presented at the XXXIII Venice Biennial in 1966. In 1999 his works were exhibited at PS1 in New York, in the Minimalia exhibition. In 2008, a catalogue raisonné of Giuseppe Uncini’s work, edited by Bruno Corà, was presented to the public. He died unexpectedly at his home-studio in 2008.